Opinion: The UPDF spokesperson wants to silence the torture debate

I call on Ugandans to go slow on the torture debate. I am personally going slow about it. I’m studying the circumstances to make an informed opinion on the torture. But personally I do not condone torture, we have some elements in the opposition who simply want to score political mileage by discrediting our president Museveni. They want to show him as a bad leader to the outside world” – Uganda People’s Defence Forces Spokesperson Lt. Felix Kulayigye

This shows how insincere the army and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) is as the state doesn’t want to be transparent and be held accountable for their actions. The UPDF spokesperson wants to silence and not talk about the torture cases. They want it gone away and in the dark like the ungazetted safe-houses.

The UPDF and NRM just wants to dismiss and downplay the severity of the torturing which is happening in the Republic. We know the Human Rights Reports on Torture has shown an extent of it and what the government don’t want out in public. As the UPDF Spokesperson feels this is destroying the image of Museveni.

Well, Museveni don’t need the help of the opposition to destroy his image. That his doing perfectly well… on his own and doesn’t need any help. The President and his Modus Operandi is destroying it on the regular. If people have to flee into exile, activists lingering in jail without charges or due process, safe-houses and various of security agencies delivering injustice towards the citizens. This is the destructive manner of which Museveni name is tarnished.

He cannot help himself and the UPDF spokesperson is in the wrong. Yes, the opposition will use this for political mileage. That is true, but they are doing it for the reasons of injustice and impunity of the authorities. The Security Agencies shouldn’t torture in the first place … and it has been done from the on-set of the NRA takeover in 1986. Therefore, the spokesperson should know better and we know the state haven’t changed it’s stripes.

Museveni is a bad leader and uses torture as a means to strike fear and intimidate. The President uses all the security agencies to kidnap, keeping people incommunicado and torture civilians without any due process by the courts of law. There is no equal before the law, because the civilians and dissidents are without charges or sentenced treated as criminals in these instances. Therefore, the Museveni will be remembered for this.

UPDF spokesperson cannot deny it and the reality is that the NRM haven’t fundamentally changed things, as it using the same means as its predecessors. That’s why they don’t want people to talk about it. The acts of vile force on innocent civilians should never be accepted and the outcries are righteous.

The security agencies shouldn’t do these things and the laws blocking it mute or silent ones, which isn’t in effect or used. Since, there is no real consequences to the ones ordering it and the ones actually doing it is a secret as well. The victim cannot know who they are and often these are plain clothed men who beats and uses torture techniques, which secures their faces from not being shown to the victim. Therefore, the state and the ones doing it’s bidding can get away with it.

These sorts of stories shall not be forgotten. There is unknown amount of people who has been tortured, kept in the dungeons or safe-houses, as the agencies are able to get away with these practice and it has no real consequence for the ones on top. That is the brutal truth and President Museveni name will forever be associated with this. Just like the NRA has tarnished the name of Obote and Amin for their crimes in their time. It is his turn now. Peace.

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Opinion: Trump’s paper trail should be investigated as Hilary’s Emails

Establishes that Presidential records automatically transfer into the legal custody of the Archivist as soon as the President leaves office” (Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978).

Former President Donald J. Trump who is living lavish in Mar-a-Lago in Florida post-Presidency. Has clearly not followed protocol or cared about the legalities of his public office as a Head of State or as the President. This is with his role as the Executive and public office he needs to national archive documents and logs, which should have been public in the first place.

We know that President Trump and Trump Organization prefers secrecy, and not really preferred transparency. That’s why every document or every investigation into has been stifled and taken to court to release documents from him. There is prolonged and used the courts to keep information away from the ones whose investigating him. This has been done so often and is common practice, that subpoenas never been respected and the investigators has to challenge him in court to get it. Therefore, recent news aren’t shocking.

However, for a man running a campaign of scaremongering and the hypocrisy of him is outrageous. As the former President is now revealed to shred documents, flush them in the toilets of the White House and taking 15 boxes of valuable documents after the term of office was over. While that all is Super-Bad…. there is reports that the National Archives are looking for more lost documents.

This is really showing how blatant he is and how reckless he is. As he knows this is wrong and the Whole White House staff should have known this. As the call-logs and documents has to achieved and kept after White House protocol. This is notes, working papers, drafts and whatever that the Trump Presidency was working on.

The Executive and President should know this as these documents becomes historical documents and proof of his term. We know his a crook and a dishonest actor when he does this. He brought with him the whole office without delivering what he was legally bound to give to the authorities as his term was over. If any other man had done this… he would have gone a rampage and called them something foolish.

My mansion shit, moved in the West wing” (Tony Yayo – ‘G-Shit’ 2005).

That’s why Trump shouldn’t talk about Hilary Clinton’s emails, which was investigated by FBI. The same has to happen to Trump. His affairs in the White House and post-Office shows that he wanted to hide information and documents that could prove criminal behaviour or illegal activities. Because, why else would he breach protocol and be possibly litigated for not leaving it to the National Archives.

He shouldn’t have taken all of these documents, which is a lot. We can just wonder his hiding. As we have seen a planned executive order for him to order the military to takeover the voting machines post-election. Therefore, he knows perfectly well that these documents could hide skeletons, which shows his pure fascism and planned efforts to overthrow the Biden administration before it even started. This is why he took it with him to Florida.

Nobody destroys documents or shreds them, because his innocent. That is done because you know something is wrong and his hiding something. Just like Trump claimed about the deleted and hidden email of Clinton. It is not like this is any different and is a large scale. This isn’t a private server, but supposed public documents, which his bound by law to give to the National Archives. That was clearly to much to ask from Trump. He cannot even do that… and everyone else had to since Ronald Reagan. Therefore, all of the appointed staff, high ranking officials and the Trump administration should know about these statutes and stipulations. However, they clearly didn’t care or was afraid to say “no” to him. As his entitlement and larger-than-life ego is making him believe he could get away with it.

That’s why he even tried for so long… to use Executive Privilege as a Former President. Trump is that sort of fella and he tried to keep these things secret. Where he took top secret document and confidential ones. He has the nerve to run a campaign on Clinton’s emails, but is much worse himself and this should be indicted, charged and give the man the bracelets. As whistleblowers leaking documents like these are rotting in jail.

The former President should have the Department of Justice litigating him and it’s about time. They need to make an example of him. When they have gone after Edward Snowden and Reality Winner. They should go after Trump who took White House documents with him and he could have easily leaked them like these fellows. Peace.

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Ethiopia: The PP wants to be vindicated while shifting blame on either the TPLF or the West

ADDIS ABABA– Although the terrorist TPLF clique has been waging a new round of offensive to Amhara and Afar states and obstructing humanitarian access to Tigray, the West has not yet dared to condemn the group’s belligerence, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States said. In a press conference he gave recently, Ambassador Fitsum Arega stated that TPLF capitalized on the decision of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) and allied forces not to advance to Tigray and expanded the conflict into the two neighboring states” (ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED – ‘West refuses to denounce terrorist TPLF’s latest aggression’ 12.02.2022, The Ethiopian Herald).

Today in the Ethiopian Herald there was written an article based on Ambassador Fitsum Arega’s words where the West and International Community is supposed to denounce the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), as the Tigray Defence Force (TDF) is advancing and furthering the conflict in Afar region, which it has done since the end of January 2022. As the conflict was started in November 2020. The besieged Tigray region haven’t stopped and neither have the bureaucratic hurdles for the humanitarian assistance.

We know that the Prime Minister Abiy have spoken ill of “wheat-aid” and his allies are clearly thinking the same. They are projecting everything on its enemies. They are always blaming and claiming the TDF have done the war-crimes or alleged atrocities. However, they have never accounted for their massacres, besieged region or humanitarian blockage, which the state has continued to produce through all the months of warfare in the Tigray.

That’s why these words are striking:

The West, particularly the U.S., UK, WFP, and others have turned blind eye and deaf ear to TPLF’s aggression and are not willing to denounce it despite the fact that they have ample evidence of the raid. ”It is evident that from the beginning, the TPLF has been hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance by kidnapping aid trucks entering Tigray and looting warehouses”. Ambassador Fitsum further noted that if the West was really concerned about human rights, they would not have chosen to remain silent in the face of such abuses” (ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED – ‘West refuses to denounce terrorist TPLF’s latest aggression’ 12.02.2022, The Ethiopian Herald).

We know the state blames the TPLF for everything. They claimed the refugees going into Sudan was terrorists too at one point. Anyone who just happens to be Tigrayan is a terrorist and everyone who defends the needs of the Tigray region is a sympathizer. Therefore, no matter what you do… you will be under fire by the authorities.

With this in mind, the vilification of everyone who happens not to be them. Just shows what sorts of the efforts the government is working with. As they blame others and projects all sins upon others. We know that the ENDF and allies have looted, destroyed and burned buildings. The ENDF and the Tripartite Alliance has raped, killed and massacred civilians in the Tigray region. These has done the vile crimes, which it is putting it on the enemies.

Therefore, when the ambassador expects the West and US to blame the TPLF. The PP and the regime in Addis Ababa should look at its own actions and decisions of late. The Ethiopian government and allies needs to be held accountable for their war-crimes, choices of man-made famine and starvation of civilians. While the TDF and their allies should be held accountable as well, but it all should be investigated by a third party to ensure the truth and due process of the possible criminal actions. This is something the regime doesn’t want and we know the Federal Government will not accept this, because the state will not implicate itself, but rather shift blame.

In a war, usually both parties violates rights and misuse power. The TDF and other allies has possibly violated international war and the Geneva convention. The same can easily be assessed by a third party and such can also be said about the Tripartite Alliance. Therefore, the Ethiopian government and its allies should care about this. Especially, if they believe everything they claim the TPLF and TDF has done, which we know isn’t true. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if they have done something wrong as well. Nevertheless, the Tripartite Alliance has the power of the state, they have international support and financial muscles to boost the war effort in Tigray.

So, the blunt of the blame and use of state to own cause of consolidating power. The PM and the Addis Ababa regime should answer for their crimes as well. They are a party and cannot only put it on others. Like they are doing here to vindicate themselves. While never ever taking anything to account. That has been done since the beginning… Peace.

Sudan: Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) – Field Report on Civilians’ injury cases during the February 10th anti-coup Protests (12.02.2022)

27 injury cases among civilians have been accounted for to date, including (3) head injury cases due to tear gas canisters – including a child injury that result in depressed Skull frature and cerebral hemorrhage (stable condition) , and others body injuries due to tear gas canisters and batons beating.

The total number of injuries reached (27) cases, as follows:

(3) head injury cases due to tear gas canisters
(3) head injury cases due to solid object.
(11) body injury cases due to tear gas canisters
(8) body injury cases due batons beating and stamped
(2) cases of suffocation caused by tear gas

The capital Khartoum;

Processions of Khartoum and its localities:

Total injuries (13) cases, as follows:

– (2) cases of head injury with a solid object.
– (2) body injury cases due to tear gas canisters.
– (7) body injury cases due to batons beating and stamped.

– (2) cases of tear gas suffocation.

Bahri city processions and their localities:

Total injuries (14) cases, as follows:

– (3) cases of head injury from tear gas canisters, including a child injury that resulted in a depressed skull fracture and cerebral hemorrhage

(the condition is stable).
– (1) head injury cases due to solid object.
– (9) body injury cases due to tear gas canisters.
– (1) body injury cases due to batons beating and stamped.

CCSD will provide you with every update it receives in continuous field reports to expose the Military Council to the world.

There are injuries in the field that were treated by field aid teams and are not included in the list.

The details of the aforementioned injured until the moment of the issuance of this report are confined to us to ensure their rights, and not sharing them is at the core of the professional obligation to respect their privacy.

• Any other injury cases that occurred in the regions are being investigated and an update will be published upon confirmation.

Glory and eternity to our brave martyrs.
Urgent recovery to our wounded heroes..

CCSD’s Media Office
February 12, 2022

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