ULS Statement on the Harassment and Intimidation of Lawyers (10.03.2016)

ULS 10.03.2016

The Police say the Boycott from “FDC is Illegal!” The Police use their holy grail POMA, and that some actually stay home in solidarity with Besigye today; Actual shop-keepers get arrested for closing their store in Rukungiri today!

Lumumba Block C 10.03.2016

Today it is first Thursday when many people stay home in solidarity to Dr. Kizza Besigye’s house arrest and the stealing of the votes on 18th Feburary 2016. The Police can’t handle that people are staying home and not talking. They can’t gather evidence and find out who really is opposition to harass. Therefore the CP of the Police said this to the media! And he had to use Public Order Management Act (POMA) the bill who is more used in Uganda then the Constitution to give the Police right to whatever they want.

“These demonstrations are deemed illegal because they are not authorized by Police as required under the Public Order Management Act, due to the potential of culminating into riots across the city; including arson, looting of properties, destruction and vandalism, and violent clashes between Police and rock throwing protesters. It is on record during the last such unlawful protests that several businesses reported damage, buildings destroyed, vehicles vandalized and injuries sustained,” says Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson” (Afunah, 2016).

That not going to work is illegal and not authorized from the Police is amazing. That the Police can state that you are making arson and potentially destroying property by not going to work is flamboyant at best.

Take look here:

Eyewitness: “Time check. 9:00 am I am at home i mean staying at home. The thought rung in my mind..go out and access the situation and find out the public response towards call for stay at home. Here i took a 5 minute walk to Kitintale taxi stage. This is one of the busiest stages in Kampala”

And if the police has issues with black or blue t-shirts while walking to work, it proves their partisanship and really, really foolish to demolish this way of showing their agony in public. The Police might not gotten a petition or form filled in with the planned demonstration, but the issue is that if they had filled it in, they would not been accepted. They have themselves aggressively preventative arrests of FDC and GO-Forward activists/officials/agents. Therefore the initial activities from the Police is not giving justice, but securing the Presidency and the elite of NRM. Not caring about democratic actions as they have sieged the home of Dr. Kizza Besigye since before the Election Day, the way the Police has attacked the Najjankumbi Headquarter have been raided twice. So if the Police expected that the FDC would comply with their rules now, it would be strange as they themselves has no regards for laws or regulations as they attack the FDC and Go-Forward by any means since the 18th of February.

The Demonstration of the FDC and their supporters is peaceful defiance and defying the institutions and businesses that supply funding to the NRM-Regime. They do not say that people should stay home if they fear of losing their job! It is a demonstration of character as they will defy the regime by peaceful means. The destruction and vandalism is more the way of the Police and Army as they hurt and kill. While the FDC want to wear a shirt and stop using MTN. If that is hard for Police to understand, I understand that as they have shown that they only understand violence, as they create it or harass the public. The Police cannot harass the public if they stay in their own home. They are allowed not to listen to Bebe Cool or Dr. Jose Chameleone or anybody else who supported President Museveni during his campaigning. They can listen to Bobi Wine or Lucky Dube if they want to, with that should cause tension. As much as staying home is a way of showing disaffection, if you couldn’t do that; than the public could do that through clothing as a sign of defying the regime; both of them are is soft and peaceful ways of demonstrations, not making the violence and creating vandalism.

So Uganda Police I do not know what you do in your homes if that is violent or vandalism, but that is up to you, and if the public is wearing something dangerous by wearing blue or black. Than you should start to wear that yourself since the Police are often the most dangerous, as you throw tear-gas, live-bullets and other aggressive behavior towards the people. And telling people that they are breaking the “Public Order” by staying home or even wearing some other clothing is just unserious, even if the FDC and the FDC NEC didn’t send a form displaying the articles and decisions to demonstrate peacefully in the country.

Rukungiri 10.03.2016

The actions of Rukungiri where shops have been closed in solidarity of the FDC and “Free My vote” campaign; the shop owners are now being arrested and detained by the Police;  So the Police have now lawful power to tell if the stores can be open and closed. By the assumption of the public display arresting Mr. Batuma and Mr. Sonko of Sonko Electronics in Rukungiri who has been arrested today after their store been closed. The FDC has been informed that UPF is looking out for business-owners that closed their businesses voluntarily. Is this the proud state of Police and NRM-Regime that you order businesses to be open or be detained by government forces? Is that parts of President Museveni’s pledges and speaking of peace during the pre-election period. As nobody could create violence or unrest in the country as long as he was President, the old man with hat and his security organizations has gone to far, when they take the men who lay down the work in solidarity for a cause and then detaining them, while looking for the other ones.

The people do this without creating any of the violence and vandalism. Even if a government car got burnt by the Electoral Commission offices in Kampala, compared to the violence you created when Dr. Kizza Besigye was crossing town to go to the Makerere rally on the 15th February 2016, this here has been nothing. I am sure the Police will blame it on the opposition, even if it was the Police themselves blazing the car, even if it was just a disgruntled employee of the Electoral Commission, who hadn’t gotten his/hers pay-check.

So if the Police struggle with the sit-home demonstrations and the clothing to show allegiance with opposition, with boycotting NRM and showing public disobedience. That should be allowed and not be questioned. Peace.

Reference:

Afunah, Badru – ‘Police Warns As FDC’s Protests Begin’ (10.03.2016) link: http://news.ugo.co.ug/police-warns-fdcs-protests-begin/

Letter from IGP to Supreme Court: “Re: Alleged Arrest of Witnesses in Election Petition No. 1 of 2016” (09.03.2016)

UPF 09.03.2016

Amama Mbabazi speaks on arrest of petition witness and burglary at lawyers’ offices (Youtube-Clip)

Amama Mbabazi addresses the media and talks about the cases of alleged police raid on his lawyers’ offices in which materials and evidence linked to the election petition were stolen. Mbabazi also briefly addresses reported cases that some of his petition witnesses have been arrested or are being harassed by police” (NTV Uganda, 2016).

Press Release: KOICA and UNICEF provide ambulances to save lives in Karamoja (09.03.2016)

IMG-20151202-WA0014

NEW YORK, United States of America, March 9, 2016The Korean International Cooperation Agency and UNICEF in Uganda have today handed over three ambulances to the districts of Amudat, Kotido and Napak to enable pregnant women access life-saving services or health facilities quickly.

The support is part of the four-year UNICEF-KOICA partnership launched last year and focuses on strengthening the continuum of care for maternal, new-born and child health services, by addressing the three delays that are responsible for maternal and new-born deaths. The continuum of care includes integrated service delivery for mothers and children from pregnancy to child birth, immediately after childbirth and through childhood.

The handover ceremony took place at the UNICEF Moroto Zonal Offices in Moroto. UNICEF’s Representative to Uganda Ms. Aida Girma handed over the ambulances to the district leadership of Amudat, Kotido and Napak.

Maternal and new-born mortality remain a global challenge and more so, an area of concern for Uganda. Women and new-borns continue to die from preventable causes. In, Uganda, there has been a slow progress in averting maternal and new-born mortality specifically in hard-to-reach areas and among vulnerable populations living in Karamoja.

The Karamoja region still registers poor indicators. While the national maternal mortality ratio is 438 per 100,000 live births, that of Karamoja is estimated at 750 per 100,000 live births.

Uganda has a well elaborated health policy and strategies for the reduction of maternal and child mortality, such as the Reproductive Maternal New-born Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) strategy which is aligned to the National Health Sector Development Plan and the Global strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health. This strategy also defines high impact interventions for the reduction of maternal and new-born mortality.

However, at district level, there is need to strengthen integration of services across the continuum of care; accountability and monitoring frameworks and to effectively support coordination of high-impact and cost-effective interventions that are defined in the RMNCAH strategy.

“The ambulances provided today are timely and will address the second delay which occurs at the community level before reaching the health facility,” said Mrs. Aida Girma, UNICEF’s Representative to Uganda.

“The delays bar pregnant women from accessing life-saving services in time,” she added.

The four-year partnership, costed at USD 8,552,020 (approximately 28 billion Uganda shillings) will target more than 100,000 pregnant women, over 15,000 pregnant women presenting with labour complications, and 100,000 children under five, including new-borns.

The project is being implemented in seven districts of the Karamoja region – Abim, Amudat, Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto, Napak and Nakapiripirit. 

Press Release: “We, Save Uganda Now” (SUN) claimed responsibility of the March 5, 2016 attack on a police station in Kapchorwa district. (Released: 08.03.2016)

Kapchorwa March 2016

We, Save Uganda Now (SUN) attacked the police station at Kapchorowa just after 12:15 am and would like to state that our operation was successful beyond our expectation, and would like to thanks population for their support but our gratitude goes to the men that participated in this mission and we give thanks to the Lord our God who ensured that all our brave combatants returned safely.

Citizens we have began efforts to free our Uganda from tyranny, we all know that constitutionalism died a long time ago and was finally laid to rest on the 19th /feb/2016.may its soul not rest until constitutionalism is restored.
Here follows details of the Kapchorowa attack.

-Last Saturday two platoons of commandos, arrived at the vicinity of the station at around 10:15 pm for an attack that was supposed to be effected at 3.30 am, after positioning themselves the waited fro zero hour, their objective was to acquire arms and ammunition.

However the Lord God of Israel being on our side an opportunity availed itself just after midnight and our commander “maji moto” gave us the strike command.

Soldiers guarding the post began leaving their post at around 11:30 pm by 12;15 only 9 soldiers were left on guard we wiped them out and proceeded to our objective point we completely overwhelmed the few officers in the station, they were so confused that one officer run head on towards our strike force asking for help he thought we were UPDF we later released him (his name was LABU) we just took his gun and uniform.

Our strike force had divided themselves into three groups force A was to lead strike force, strike force 2 was for carrying the Arms/ ammunition from the armory and strike force 3 was secure the roads to and from the station and our withdrawal routes- we had 3 routes out 2 were diversionary.

We would like to categorically state that Commander Maji Moto did not lose any men in these operation, the only man reported killed at the station we found at the station being booked by the police sergeant and was got in the cross fire as we advanced to armory.

We would like to thank the Uganda army who has help us immensely by arresting and beating the local with impunity and inducing more support for our cause from the population.

Country men we acquired 35 guns and over 320 round of munitions in this single operation we also like to clarify that the police officer under arrest for allegedly assisting us is a scape goat he was picked simply because he is an FDC supporter and the spin by state media that the attack was by criminals led by one Chelimo is a lie, there is no chelimo in our force neither where they involved in this operation.

In conclusion, we released some political prisoners who had been held without charges since and before the elections most have chosen to join the struggle to save our country. Beloved men and women of Uganda the battle has began, give thanks a praise to the Lord our God.

Chairman
Save Uganda Now-SUN
supported by C4DC- Citizens for the defense of the constitution.

Harassment of the opposition: Offices of two of the lawyer’s was raided last night; they just happen to work on the Mbabazi Presidential Election petition in the Supreme Court; while witnesses who saw the electoral fraud get’s detained!

Muwema 09.03.2016 Police

This here is not a beautiful view and a wonderful story of how a the oppressor change their ways, it is more of the same, as the NRM-Regime and undercover Police, or under Police supervision has raided two of the lawyers of Go-Forward Presidential Candidate Amama Mbabzi during the night.

The lawyers who has been attacked during the evening, lost their documents and their computers was Muhammad Mbaabzi and Fred Muwema, the ironic part is during the morning hours the media was arriving hours before the Police came back to the scene. After a long while they have sealed of the offices and the laywers are not allowed to enter into their own offices. As they are working on the Presidential Candidate Petition on the election fraud of Presidential Election during February!

This here is the continuation of violence against the opposition and their freedoms as they try to get rid of evidence showing the electoral fraud, as they have taken FDC officials and FDC agents with Declaration Results Forms from the polling stations, now they take the offices of the lawyers as a continuation of the oppressive methods of the ruling regime. Here are today reports and they are bleak!

“Mbabazi lawyer Basalirwa: “We’re taking a constitutional path by going to court, unlike Museveni who went to the bush” (NBS TV Uganda, 2016).

Lukwago 09032016

Statement by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago on today’s actions:

“My colleague in the profession and a personal friend, Muhammad Mbabazi, requested me to pass by their chambers this morning to share with them the relevant evidence in my possession regarding the impugned sham election. I was, however, treated to a rude shock to find their entire firm in disarray as unknown assailants ransacked it last night. Surprisingly, the security agencies had not cordoned off the scene of crime, neither were they deployed in the vicinity yet Wandegeya Police station is a stone throw distance away. This strange conduct of police, who, ironically, pitched camp at the residence of the Dr. Besigye ostensibly to ward off crime, renders credence to the school of thought that the police are culpable. God save this country”

Muhammed Mbabazi 0903.2016

Daily Monitor reports:

“The offices, one on Acacia Avenue in quiet and leafy Kololo and the other on Buganda Road in Kampala, were reportedly broken into at about 3am” (…)”Mr Mbabazi said the police should explain what exactly happened at his office. “The police were seen to have come here. They came, they broke [in and] they took away whatever they took. So I report to whom? They should be the ones to come and tell me ‘we came in, we didn’t find you then we broke in’,” said Mr Mbabazi during a televised interview an hour ago. At the time of filing this story, the police had not yet established the circumstances under which the office was broken into, despite it having private guards” (…)”Mr Patrick Onyango the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson when reached for a comment, said: “We have sent our officers to establish what exactly happened. I cannot comment on that matter before I get a report.” (…)”According to one man who claims to have witnessed the incident, about 30 people were involved in the break in. “They were about 30. It is those who were in plain-clothes who entered; the [uniformed] police watched from the sidelines,” the man claimed. The burglars reportedly came with a ladder, which they placed by the perimeter wall to climb over the wall” (Wesonga & Kato, 2016).

Muwema & Co 09.03.2016

Another laywer got a break in:

“FULL STORY: “The police were seen to have come here. They came, they broke in, and took away whatever they took. So I report to whom? They should be the ones to come and tell me ‘we came in, we didn’t find you then we broke in’.” According to Mr Asuman Basalirwa, another of Mr Mbabazi’s lawyers, the team spent much of Tuesday receiving witnesses they will call upon to testify for the Amama Mbabazi petition against the election of President Museveni (Daily Monitor, 2016).

Unconfirmed but believable reports:

“Personnel of SPC Security told Mbabazi that around 3am, about 30 uniformed policemen raided the offices. Their plainclothed colleagues broke in and took computers and documents. The alarm went off and the SPC Security Quick Reaction Force soon arrived. They were arrested, badly beaten up and are now hospitalized”

The other break-in:

URN: “Fred Muwema Kololo offices sealed off after early Wednesday morning break-in. Muwema’s office is located in Kololo, Acacia Avenue, opposite Metropolitan Hotel. Muwema is one of the lawyers handing the presidential elections petition filed by Amama Mbabazi challenging the results of the February 18, 2016 elections” (URN, 2016).

“Fred Muwema, also Mbabazi lawyer had his office broken into. No one allowed in as they wait for police to get here” (NTV Uganda, 2016).

Muwema 09.03.2016 Arrives

 “Fred Muwema arrives at crime scene where his law offices were broken into” (88.2 Sanyu FM, 2016).

“Police continue investigations on Muwema law offices break in, senior partner confirms several PCs were stolen” (88.2 Sanyu FM, 2016).

Arrested witnesses of Electoral Malpractices:

“Basalirwa said yesterday that at least 12 witnesses, who had travelled from five Busoga districts, were arrested as they arrived for a meeting at Mbabazi’s Kololo residence” (…)”When they arrived, police officers came and asked them where they were going, and when they mentioned that they were witnesses in Mbabazi’s petition, they were bundled onto a police patrol truck and a Super Custom and driven to Kireka [Special Investigations Department headquarters],” Basalirwa told The Observer yesterday” (…)”We reported last week [that] six polling agents were intercepted on February 29; they were polling agents from Nabweru and Kakiri in Wakiso district, and were heading to Kololo [Mbabazi’s residence] in a Toyota Noah registration number UAP 710N and in possession of original declaration of results [DR] forms. They have since gone missing, and the DR forms which were part of the evidence for the election petition are also missing,” Nakaweesi said” (…)”Such acts are meant to destroy credible evidence that supports the petition and also intimidate witnesses and other conscious citizens who want to submit such evidence,” Nakaweesi said”  (Kaaya, 2016).

I think the stories speak for themselves as the lawyers who works for Amama Mbabazi are stifled by Police and the men honoring the President as he does what he can to dissolve rule of law in the name of Museveni, as he is the law and the ruler, allowed to do as he please while the other people have to obey him. As it seems, Amama Mbabazi continues to work against the machine of ruling party. With taking the witnesses to prison while now raiding the lawyer’s offices and then sealing them off. This is a sad day, see how far the government has sinks in respecting other people and even the men who works for obeying the laws and defend the rule of law.

This is a way of the ruling party to dissolve the petition and spread fear, as they are known for and this is a continuation of it. Peace. 

Reference:

Kaaya, Sadab Kitatta – ‘Arrested Mbabazi witnesses in Jinja’ (09.03.2016) link: http://www.observer.ug/news-headlines/43002-arrested-mbabazi-witnesses-in-jinja

Wesonga, Nelson & Kato, Joseph – ‘Burglars break into Mbabazi’s lawyers office’ (09.03.2016) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Offices-of-Mbabzi-s-lawyers-broken-into/-/688334/3109066/-/34o1ae/-/index.html

Press Release: African Commission Calls on Uganda to Ensure The Right to Legal Abortion and Access to Reproductive Health Services (07.03.2016)

Kabare Hospital 11.12.15

The government of Uganda should stop impeding access to medical abortion and reproductive health services, according to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights—a regional body charged with ensuring African states comply with their human rights obligations under regional and international human rights treaties.

The African Commission’s recommendations call for Uganda to implement the Maputo Protocol—the only treaty, at both the international and regional levels, that explicitly guarantees the right to legal abortion in cases of sexual assault, rape, incest, and where the continued pregnancy endangers the mental and physical health or life of the woman or in cases of fatal fetal impairments.

Abortion in Uganda is legal in limited circumstances, yet approximately 85,000 women each year receive treatment for complications from unsafe abortion and an additional 65,000 women experience complications but do not seek medical treatment.

“Too many women and girls in Uganda put their health and lives at risk because the government has failed to ensure they have access to safe abortion services when they need it,” said Evelyne Opondo, regional director for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “We commend the African Commission for putting the reproductive rights of these women and girls first, and urge Uganda to expedite implementation of the Maputo Protocol and expand access safe and legal abortion.”

Abim Hospital 2014 P2

The Center for Reproductive Rights and Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) submitted a letter to the African Commission in October 2014 that highlighted a range of reproductive health and human rights issues including the lack of access to comprehensive contraceptive services and information, lack of access to safe abortion services and post-abortion care, high incidence of maternal deaths and injuries, discrimination against women living with HIV and AIDS, and expulsion of pregnant girls from school.

In its recommendations, the Africa Commission urges Uganda to expedite all draft bills in Parliament which have bearing on protection of women’s rights, including the Marriage and Divorce Bill which has been pending for more than 15 years. The commission also calls for the strengthening of protections for Ugandans livings with HIV and AIDS, including making amendments to the “HIV Prevention and AIDS Control Bill.” The law, which was passed in August 2014, criminalizes the transmission of HIV, a measure that allows doctors to violate patients’ confidentiality and disclose their HIV status without consent, and calls for mandatory testing for pregnant women and their partners in violation of their human rights.

“The provisions in the HIV Prevention and AIDS Control Bill are discriminatory and only deter people from accessing health services, including HIV testing,” said Moses Mulumba, Executive Director of CEHURD. “We call on the state to reconsider these provisions and promote the realization of the right to health in Uganda.” 

The Center has worked extensively in Uganda on the human rights implications of lack of access to legal abortion and modern contraceptives. In November 2013, the Center, the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law released a joint report entitled The Stakes Are High: The Tragic Impact of Unsafe Abortion and Inadequate Access to Contraception in Uganda. The report documents personal stories of women impacted by the widespread and false impression that abortion is illegal in all circumstances in Uganda— when in fact it is permitted for women with life-threatening conditions and victims of sexual assault.

In 2012, the Center launched its first research report on Uganda’s laws and policies on termination of pregnancy. The report found that the laws and policies are more expansive than most believe, and Uganda has ample opportunity to increase access to safe abortion services.

Police Maintains Dr Besigye Siege (Youtube-Clip)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svhDQsroQM

“A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the busy Kasangati suburb, an area now synonymous with opposition Forum for Democratic Change’s demands for change.  The Police have been deployed at every turn along the Kasangati – Nangabo road; with two road blocks mounted before one reaches Dr Kiiza Besigye’s home. Bird songs can be heard in the silence. It has been mostly like this for the last 15 days, as police bids to ensure Dr Kiiza Besigye’s attempts to leave home are nipped in the bud. It is a hustle for Politicians and journalists to go beyond this particular road block.. In Kampala, Forum for Democratic Change strategists are spending sleepless nights trying to find ways of ending the blockade.  In an exclusive interview, the Party’s Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi told NBS that the Police have only two days to leave Dr Besigye’s home.  The party plans to mobilize its supporters nationwide to march to the offices of the Electoral Commission in Kampala to force it announce Dr Besigye duly elected president” (NBS TV Uganda, 2016).

The Isingiro FDC Chairman Mr.Bafaki has been arrested by the Police; as the Oppression of the opposition continues.

FDC 25.02.2016

As the continuously harassment and detaining the Forum of Democratic Change chairman of the district; Mr. Bafaki was arrested from his home, there been release of charges or reasons for the arrest from the authorities. Neither is the destination or place of arrest as it seem the crack-down on the opposition getting wider by the day and the relics of rule of law is weakening as the NRM-Regime only way of forcing their power, is to take the people hostage and not give freedom and justice to the people. That must be the reason why also Mr. Bafaki gets detained by the Police as so many other FDC Officials and FDC agents get detained just days after the presidential Election Day on the 18th February. Peace.