A trove of testimonies from greater than 200 individuals who accuse senior Ugandan officers, together with the president and his son, of torture, killings and different crimes towards humanity has been submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a lawyer for the complainants mentioned on Tuesday.

The submitting is an effort to convey worldwide scrutiny to what human rights observers have known as a brutal government crackdown on opposition groups and activists within the East African nation within the months earlier than and after the country’s bloody 2021 elections.

The briefing accuses 9 prime Ugandan officers of abuses, together with President Yoweri Museveni, who has dominated the nation with an iron grip for nearly 4 a long time, and his son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has been maneuvering to succeed his father.

A complete of 26 officers are accused of aiding and abetting the incarceration and systematic abuse of Ugandans, notably supporters of the musician turned opposition chief Bobi Wine, a presidential candidate within the 2021 election.

The workplace of the Ugandan president didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Andrew Mwenda, a spokesman for the president’s son, mentioned in a textual content message: “Were they tortured? YES! Who directed it? We need to find out. It makes sense for them to accuse a son of the president since it increases the profile of their case and also boosts their political struggle against” the president.

It can take months, and even years, for the International Criminal Court, or I.C.C., to announce whether or not it should take up a case for investigation. Karim Khan, the courtroom’s chief prosecutor, beforehand mentioned that his workplace is brief on workers and funds, and overwhelmed with investigations, including allegations of war crimes in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

The prosecutor could also be reluctant to research the Uganda allegations, some analysts mentioned. The courtroom has been heavily criticized for prosecuting the vast majority of its instances in African international locations, though some have been opened on the request of African governments.

The submitting was proven to The New York Times by Bruce I. Afran, a lawyer based mostly in Princeton, N.J., whose staff gathered the testimonies. He additionally represents a number of main opposition figures in Uganda.

In the paperwork, activists, opposition leaders and authorities critics described being waterboarded, whipped and stabbed, having chemical substances thrown at them or being compelled to lie down subsequent to corpses.

The submitting accuses Mr. Museveni of bearing direct duty for the torture as a result of he’s the commander of the armed forces.

The accusations might intensify criticism of Mr. Museveni’s authorities, which lately passed a sweeping anti-gay law that rights teams contemplate among the most punitive in the world.

An I.C.C. investigation might additionally complicate the politics of succession in Uganda forward of the 2026 elections. General Kainerugaba, 49, has made it clear he desires to interchange his 78-year-old father. But he has irked the older man with provocative tweets, together with floating the thought of invading Kenya.

Uganda has been a celebration to the Rome Statute that established the I.C.C. since 2002 — though Mr. Museveni has criticized the court and threatened to drag out.

Tom Maliti, a researcher who has monitored cases at the I.C.C., mentioned, “The prosecutor’s office is highly aware of the criticism that they have been focusing on Africa.”

The courtroom’s instances towards authorities officers in Africa haven’t been profitable, he famous, including that any prosecution must depend on the cooperation of the Ugandan authorities to gather proof and interview potential witnesses.

Most of these offering testimony are nameless as a result of many are nonetheless in Uganda, Mr. Afran mentioned. But a number of others, who sought asylum in Europe or the United States, are named. They embrace Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, a outstanding author, and Amos Katumba, the founding father of a nongovernmental group who has partnered with Mr. Wine on initiatives.

Many testified that safety forces had damaged into their houses and arrested them, or whisked them away on the road into unmarked vans. They mentioned they have been overwhelmed, burned with sizzling irons, electrocuted, made to eat feces, compelled to drink urine or had their tooth eliminated.

Mr. Museveni has acknowledged that a whole bunch of what he known as “terrorists” and “lawbreakers” had been arrested throughout the election season, and that an elite commando unit led on the time by his son had “killed a few.”

Four victims, together with Mr. Rukirabashaija, say within the briefing that the president’s son went to see them in detention. Mr. Rukirabashaija, who has written two books satirizing the president and the ruling social gathering, was arrested in late 2021 after he mocked the president’s son on social media.

Mr. Rukirabashaija told The Times final 12 months that he had been whipped and his thighs plucked with pliers in jail, the place General Kainerugaba visited him 3 times. On Tuesday, the overall’s spokesman denied the 2 had ever met.

When he was launched final 12 months, Mr. Rukirabashaija fled the nation and now lives in Germany.

“The rule of law in Uganda does not function because the courts are subservient to the government,” he mentioned in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “I hope we can now find justice.”

Marlise Simons contributed reporting from Breval, France.