UGANDA: Museveni's dreaded CMI can now release captives on army bond

MUSEVENI'S DREADED CMI CAN NOW RELEASE CAPTIVES ON ARMY BOND

After his savage arrest on October 18, Mr Kawooya was driven in a taxi bearing a fake number plate to an unknown place and the family spent the last few days trying to establish his whereabouts.
Police denied detaining him;
“No, they are not police officers and we are looking for them,”Kayima said.
“The Police did not sanction participation in that operation. What happened is unacceptable in a country like ours where rule of law is critical.”

Instead, the army reportedly stage-managed a mock trial of five people it claimed were its soldiers who were involved in the brutal arrest and kidnap of Kawooya. Though the five accused pleaded guilty to the simple offence of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, the army is stuck with sentencing them. Much as the same offence carries a maximum sentence of dismissal from the army, the appropriate charges should have been the capital offences of torture and kidnap which are only triable by either the High Court or the General Court Martial. The Army is now buying time to allow public anger to cool down.

Yesterday, his family and lawyer were turned away when they went to CMI headquarters in Mbuya to look for him.
“We have been at CMI, we made an attempt to meet Kawooya, but we were unable to see him because the people who were there told us the officers who should have granted us the access to meet him were in a closed-door meeting." Mr Kakande said.
He said CMI officials had confirmed that they were holding Mr Kawooya at their facility.
“They have confirmed keeping him and said the closed-door meeting is to decide whether to release him today or not,” he said.

CMI finally dumped Kayooya to the police before the family finally located him at the Special investigation Unit in Kireka, a police detention facility. Today, the opposition's Hon. Kabaziguruka secured his release;
“No charges have been preferred against him yet. He will report back to Special Investigations Division on October 31."

The truth is that the army had no serious criminal charges against the victim, Kawooya. Either he was held in line with the usual harassment of opposition activists or as usual CMI was engaged for pay to settle private business deals gone sour or revenge. That is why they have easily released him without charges. It is for the same reason that it can't disclose the full identities of the accused soldiers. We challenge the army to dress the so called soldiers in full army uniform bearing their name tags.

What is worrying is that now CMI can shamelessly kidnap, torture, detain and release on bond. Just three months ago, we raised a red flag over allowing family members to visit victims of kidnap illegally held in safe houses;

http://changeofguards.blogspot.ca

18 July, 2018

DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL ( DWT ) IN SAFE HOUSES IS NOW THE ACCEPTED NORM

When the Ugandan dictator’s schemes to forcefully hold onto power became more pronounced over a decade ago, he resorted to kidnap and detention of his political opponents in ungazetted secret detention facilities. Security agencies like civil intelligence (ISO), military intelligence (CMI), police and other adhoc intelligence outfits all ran safe houses. The essence was for victims to be subjected to Detention Without Trial (DWT) while undergoing gruesome physical torture aimed at extracting confessions. Safe houses provided an opportunity for the regime to disassociate itself from such a vice in the event the victims died or sued for damages. The global fight against terrorism was used as a cover to suppress internal political dissent. Security operatives used the leverage to even detain and torture for personal reasons i.e extortion, debt collection, business rivalry, power struggles, revenge etc.
Initially the regime denied that it was running any safe houses save for the main one at Kololo that houses the Joint Anti Terrorism Task Force (JATF). At one time it claimed to have closed down all such safe houses but the truth is that they continue to exist to this day. It’s only the police that had abandoned the use of safe houses after it established its official DWT and torture facility at the infamous Nalufenya. When it was recently cosmetically closed down, gullible Ugandans celebrated the “end of detention without trial and torture”.

With the ongoing crackdown on recently sacked Gen. Kalekyezi’s loyalists, ISO and CMI are taking the lead and Ugandans are once again cheering on without questioning or pondering to know where the so called suspects are held. Take the example of Movit proprietor, Simpson Birungi who was kidnapped and held by ISO at a safe house for 45 days. At one time they even arrogantly allowed his wife to visit him; which is a new development in the history of safe houses. I hope Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) picks interest and she leads them to the venue around Kyengera for inspection.
The family petitioned the High Court which issued an order for the Attorney General and DG/ISO to appear and explain the illegal detention of Simpson Birungi. The regime directed the two officials to just ignore the court order. Consequently, the same High Court further issued an order for the unconditional release of Simpson Birungi but was also ignored. It was at this stage that the Uganda Law Society appealed to the DPP to investigate “transgression of the law” by ISO and AG. ULS went further to threaten private prosecution of the two regime officials.

ULS very well knows, and if it didn’t know, the DG/ISO and AG could not ignore High Court orders without the approval of Museveni. Similarly, ISO could not have kidnapped and detained Simpson Birungi in a safe house for 45 days without the approval of Museveni. It is the same Museveni who has approved his release from detention and not ULS’ empty threats of commencing private prosecution. This also serves to show that even the recent raids on both the MTN servers and Lands office by ISO were fully approved by Museveni. The raiding of Parliament, raiding of courts to reverse court orders and the arrest and detention of M.Ps among other vices, must all be approved by Museveni.

Therefore, kidnappings and detention without trial (DWT) is no longer a secret but an official Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) by the regime security apparatus. The level of arrogance exhibited in allowing even the families of victims to visit them in Safe Houses serves to confirm that it is now an acceptable norm. Not all that are held in these safe houses are lucky enough to come out alive or without any physical scratch like Simpson Birungi. Can anyone still talk about constitutionalism and rule of law?
INFORMATION IS POWER
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From detention in Safe Houses and military barracks to trial of civilians in military courts, and now the army granting bond to civilian victims of kidnap and illegal detention. Slowly but steadily, Museveni's military dictatorship is gaining acceptance.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSVENISM

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