Lawyers speak out on Kavuma order

Lawyers have appealed to the Judiciary to refrain from conducting itself in a manner that may appear to undermine the enjoyment of human rights and freedoms.

The president of Uganda Law Society (ULS), Francis Gimara, questioned the decision by the Constitutional Court to hear an application lodged by the Attorney General against FDC and Besigye in the absence of respondents.

"We do not see the justification of hearing such a politically charged application where the Attorney General is the applicant ex parte. In fact, we believe that no exceptional danger would have arisen from effecting service on the respondents," Gimara said in a statement.

He was reacting to last month's Constitutional Court order Issued by Deputy Chief Justice Steven Kavuma, stopping Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) rom holding demonstrations.

The Constitutional Court on April 29 issued an interim order, barring Besigye and FDC from staging demonstrations and holding weekly ‘prayers' to express their dissatisfaction at the election victory of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and his planned swearing in ceremony on May 12.

The police arrested the Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, Dr. Stella Nyanzi of Makerere Institute of Social Research, pastors - David Happy Ngabo and Edward Ssenyange and other FDC supporters at FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi on Tuesday.

Lukwago, Nyanzi, the pastors and other FDC followers, who had travelled to the party offices to attend its weekly prayers, have since been charged with disobeying court orders.