Killed For Being Army traitor’s Girlfriend
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Not everyone that was imprisoned or subjected to all forms of torture, persecuted or disappeared between 1999 and 2003, was involved in the alleged activities of People's Redemption Army (RPA) in Uganda.
The extent of direct involvement of the investigations of mysterious rebel groups by President Yoweri Museveni's government is to date still debatable. President Museveni's government in its alleged attempt to bring the west, neighbouring country onto believing the existence of the RPA a 'rebel' group in Uganda did not only affect former army officers directly accused of its activities but also their spouses who were either arrested, imprisoned or disappeared altogether. These are some of the bad memories that continue to loiter into the heart and brain of relatives whose beloved ones either succumbed to the activities of security agents or disappeared.
Nearly, ten years on, but the existence of the PRA is still widely questioned, however, it is known to the Ugandan authority as a rebel group with base in Ituri region, eastern part of the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC) with activities taking place across the borders in western Uganda. The political opposition to-date still maintains that it is Uganda government's creative plan to persecute and to clampdown on the opposition. This is closely about to happen to a family of one Hajara Namanya. Instead of preparing the celebration for her birth day, Isaac Musinguzi uncle to a former girl friend of Capt. Kasim Katumba (RO80033), will next month be preparing the last funeral-right. “If a person commits an offence against the state, there is no reason his wife, partner or any other relatives be held responsible,” Mr Musinguzi contest against the actions of the security agents that he describes as reason for the disappearance Ms Namanya. According to Musinguzi, Ms Namanya's fate was being a girl friend to Capt. Katumba who was accused by the state for selling information to another country. Although, the country was not mentioned it is believed to be Rwanda. Her disappearance eight years ago, has never been accounted for by the army, as the spokesman Lt. Col. Felix Kulaigye puts it that: “We are an army that believe in good relations with the Ugandan population.” “We are accountable to the people of Uganda, we believe our strength lies in good relation with the people of the country,” said Uganda Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Kulaigye, in an exclusive phone interview, Wednesday, August 18.
“It seems your memory has forgotten that Samson Mande and Kyakabale sat in Kigali [capital of Rwanda] and declared war on Uganda,” said Uganda Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Kulaigye, in an exclusive phone interview, Wednesday, August 18, in reference to Col Samson Mande and Col. Anthony Kyakabale among the Ugandan dissidents who fled the country to Rwanda before they were relocated to Sweden in 2003. However, records show that, the Rwandan President Paul Kagame then dismissed PRA as a creation of the Ugandans and as a fictious as does the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) who claimed that the PRA is no more than a creation of Government.
The PRA as always been linked to which is widely questioned, although, it is however never attacked or killed any Uganda re
When the existence of the RPA in Uganda, came into public imagination many families became victims of the state, but the authority like in many unclear circumstances, continue to deny the about the on-going tortures even when both local and International Human Rights organisation come up with well investigated and documented abuses of human rights.
Defending his forces during the interview, Lt Col. Kulaigye, further said: “I have told you that the people we captured in Ituri [DR Congo] region and west Nile had weapons. We don't believ in fear, we believe in what we discovered, these included a doctor.”
When reminded about the previous incidents involved violent arrests, tortures well documented reports by Human Rights organisation, the Colonel said: “I don't discuss with neo-colonial minds, I have told you that the people we interviewed in Ituri serve as evidence that PRA was there.”
“We don't hold anybody; most people who had no case were released. Individuals had their cases to answer. You can't call that persecution. If people have cases, we should not touch them because of fear of what people will say?” Lt. Col. Kulaigye added.
Divergent from what the army spokesperson, Lt Col. Kulaigye said, the highlights from the recent Human Rights organisations report, the most outstanding is the three days' September 2009, violence in Kampala, where security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, which alleged to have resulted into nearly 50 deaths, closing of CBS radio affiliated to Buganda Kingodm. The violence erupted following the government's decision to impose a travel ban on the Kabaka (King) of Buganda Kingdom. According to the report more than 1,000 people were arrested and detained.
Uganda
Violation of human rights, high level corruption and nepotism, constant persecution of political opponents, militarization of politics and rigging of elections, brutality against dissenting citizens, land grabbing, muzzling of the press, refusal to grant freedom of assembly, and the suppression of kingdoms by Museveni and his government. (See; http://www.ugandansinthediaspora.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=64)
The March 2010, country human rights report released by the American government faults the Ugandan government in at least 18 areas of serious human rights abuse, which among others include arbitrary and politically motivated killings, abductions; electoral irregularities; official corruption; mob and ethnic violence and official impunity.
It highlights other “serious human rights problems” as vigilante killings; politically motivated abductions; torture and abuse of suspects and detainees and harsh prison conditions; arbitrary and politically motivated arrest and detention; the holding of suspects incommunicado and lengthy pre-trial detention; restrictions on the right to a fair trial and on freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion; restrictions on opposition parties.
Other problem areas are violence and discrimination against women and children, including female genital mutilation (FGM), sexual abuse of children, and the ritual killing of children; trafficking in persons; violence and discrimination against persons with disabilities and homosexuals; restrictions on labour rights; and forced labour, including child labour.
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/82072/section/8
http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/pressroom/multimediaarchives/1073.html
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:VrYeZ_M-cyMJ:www.independent.co.ug/index.php/news/news-analysis/623-court-ruling-puts-uganda-torture-in-the-spotlight+Human+Rights+abuses+by+Uganda+agents&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk