She says the continued detention of Dr. Besigye raises serious questions about Uganda’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, key tenets of shared Commonwealth Charter and values.
Last month, the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, ruled that all pending or partially heard cases involving civilians before the General Court Martial must be transferred to civil courts with proper jurisdiction.
This was a unanimous decision delivered on Wednesday by five Supreme Court Justices, led by Professor Lillian Tibatemwa, in the case of Lt. Ambrose Ogwang, a UPDF officer who was found guilty of murder by the Court Martial and subsequently sentenced to 29 years in prison. Ogwang sought to overturn his conviction and subsequent sentence.
Among proposed to engage the President over the prolonged detention of suspects, and deferred determination on the four Opposition demands until after a meeting she scheduled with the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission next week, Monday.
The group is accused of having been found in illegal possession of 13 pieces of explosive devices which are ordinarily the monopoly of the defense forces. It is alleged that the crime was committed between November 2020 and May 2021 in areas of Jinja, Mbale, Kireka, Nakulabye, Kawempe, Natete, and Kampala Central.
The three are Maxwell Okello, Alex Kadyama and Richard Tiriganya. They were all arrested on November 18, 2020, from the areas around Kampala, where they were found with Red Berets, a signature headgear t of the political party led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine.
Prosecution led by Lt. Moses Ekwamu told the military court that on July 24, 2021, at around 09.00 pm, while on guard duties at Kanyamwirima barracks in Bundibugyo, Mwanika gunned down and killed Pte Christine Akido.
The amendment of the charges has come at a time when at least 26 people have been murdered by Machete wielding assailants (commonly known as Bijambiya) in Lwengo , Masaka and Bukomansimbi Districts
The order has been issued by a panel of five Justices led by the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, saying that he had listened to the arguments of both sides and found that they are raising serious issues and as such he needs more time to internalize them before he can make a detailed ruling on the application filed by the Attorney General. He has accordingly ordered that the interim order shall be in place until July 29th 2021 when he will be delivering the detailed ruling.
Lt Col. John Bizimana, the Registrar of the General Court-martial, says that unlike the past lockdown when they continued working, this time around they have started to halt their operations but will remain on standby in case any new matter comes up.
Brig William Bainomugisha, the Fifth Infantry Division Commander confirmed to Uganda Radio Network on Tuesday that the suspects are in their custody and won’t be handed over to South Sudan authorities.
The defense lawyer told court that Banuli has become a problem to people in prison who have to lift him all the time because he lost his leg in the botched robbery.
Ndaboine presented Local Government Raphael Magyezi, John Bosco Kananura, the Katwe Town Council LC III Chairperson in Kasese District and Twesigye David Kamara, the Director Itendero High School as his sureties.
Rene Rutagungira who was the first to be arraigned in court in 2017 was first charged with abduction but the charges were later amended. The prosecution alleged that Rene used a pistol and grenades to abduct Lt Joel Mutabazi and Jackson Kalemera, the former Bodyguards of Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda.
They were jointly charged before the General Court Martial, for killing two mobile money agents; Moreen Nakabuubi and Harriet Nalwadda who were shot from Zana, along the Kampala-Entebbe highway.