JEEMA To Sue Attoney General Over Unlawful Detention Of Pres. Basalirwa
Mr. Asuman Basalirwa, the President, Justice Forum (JEEMA) Party, was waylaid by police authorities and detained at Nsangi Police Post this morning at 1:00 hours.
For over 10 hours; he was never committed to entering a statement nor any charge preferred against him until his release on July 8, 2013. The President was with other political activists including Muhammad Ssegirinya, Ssemindi and a personal secretary to Mr. Mubarak Munywagwa, the Kawempe Division Mayor. The police had trailed the President right from Kawempe up to this point. He was proceeding to Kabale, about 250 miles southwest of the capital Kampala to provide legal representation in court for Mr. Mayor Mubarak Munywagwa who was driven from Kampala and remanded there in Ndorwe Government Prison on Friday evening. In a characteristic unprofessional manner, the police at Nsangi later claimed to have detained the president because his driver was running fast!
Clearly this action typifies many others conducted by rogue elements drafted by the NRM regime into the Uganda Police Force (UPF) to conspire in negating the constitutional mandate of the force in keeping law and order. They also actively engage in denying Ugandans their civil and political liberties as well as their inherent human rights. The action on President Basalirwa was both unlawful and out of order. The intent of the rogue elements was to ensure that the detained Mayor in Kabale is denied access to competent legal representation.
JEEMA, therefore, strongly condemns the continuous unethical practices by the NRM regime. Further JEEMA will proceed to sue the Attorney General for the ---physical and mental torture meted to President Asuman Basalirwa in the name of the Uganda Police Force.
2.0 PRES. BASALIRWA APPEARS IN COURT
On July 4, JEEMA President Asuman Basalirwa, together with several other opposition leaders and activists responded to court summons at the Chief Magistrates Court on Buganda Road. He was charged under a colonial-made law for allegedly organizing an 'unlawful society'. The President was represented by an able team of legal counsels, including Counsel Shifrah Lukwago of Lukwago and Company Advocates. Hon. Hussein Kyanjo, the Secretary General, JEEMA and MP Makindye West was his surety to secure a court bail. The President is due to return to the same court on September 17, 2013.
JEEMA wishes to stress that despite these challenges, the President's commitment and that of other party leaders on Civil, Political and other social liberties as guaranteed by the 1995 constitution remains unshaken.
As such the President and other JEEMA leaders will remain actively engaged in all legitimate Political activities and continue with the agitation until Ugandans are fully liberated from the colonial mentality and dictatorship tendencies that continue to afflict our nation.
3.0 NEW FORMS OF TORTURE
JEEMA wishes to alert the General Public of the new forms of torture introduced by rogue elements within the security services. According to our members who have fallen victim to the heinous actions, the perpetuators are primarily aiming to stifle legitimate political activism in absence of suitable charges to prefer against opposition politicians in competent courts of law. The actions involve cramming innocent citizens in police cells, stuffing people in unventilated vehicles, clobbering them with gun buts and clubs, sprinkling pepper in their eyes and puffing drug-filled smoke in vehicles full of victims.
JEEMA, however, wishes to commend some professional police authorities at the various stations who are standing their ground to resist receipt and detention of such tormented citizens until the perpetuators of the crimes have treated them.
4.0 US PRESIDENT, OBAMA'S VISITS TO AFRICA
The Justice Forum, JEEMA, welcomes the re-defined development engagements between the United States of America and Africa. While in the continent on his second visit, President Barack H. Obama pronounced a gradual shift from mere aid-donations to trade partnerships between our two economies.
We particularly welcome the commitment by Washington to invest over USD7b in the continent's energy sectors. Uganda has already, correctly identified energy development as a viable intervention in the nation's development process.
However, Uganda under the NRM administration has been and remains chronically dodged with the challenge of imprudent priorities while allocating the abundant development resources. A case in point is Museveni's current consideration of reviving, without adding noble innovations to the nation's railway system after grounding it for the last two decades.
JEEMA'S view in respect to optimal utilization of resources for trade-based infrastructure development, is for Uganda to first develop all the planned nearly 2000MW electricity projects to sufficiently facilitate introduction of electric-powered railway systems that squarely respond to the demands of a modern country we all espouse in Vision 2040. Museveni's current plan to invest in merely revamping the old ordinary railway system will in the near future once again prove to be another misguided policy and priority as has been the case with many other projects in the past.
5.0 RAMATHAN KARIM!
The Justice Forum (JEEMA) wishes a fruitful blessed month of Ramadan to the global Muslim Community. This is an ideal period for the over two-billion Muslim faithful worldwide, to pray for the troubled parts of globe, the oppressed and the destitute and deprived communities including those in our motherland Uganda.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY,
RAMATHAN KARIM!
Swaib K. Nsereko
SECRETARY FOR INFORMATION/SPOKESMAN