UHRC cites fraud in court martial
Jul 09, 2004
THE Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has cited corruption in the court martials, accusing some Army officers of extorting money from suspects before they include them on the list of those to be tried.
THE Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has cited corruption in the court martials, accusing some Army officers of extorting money from suspects before they include them on the list of those to be tried, reports Alfred Wasike.
The human rights watchdog, in a statement, said it has the names of the culprits. The revelations emerged out of a closed meeting UHRC held to end torture of suspects by security organs.
The meeting was chaired by the UHRC chief, Margaret Sekaggya.
The Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, vowed to investigate the allegations but urged the UHRC to provide the army with more details. “She (Sekaggya) mentioned only someone called Lukwago, a prosecutor in the General Court Martial,†he said.
The statement signed by UHRC acting spokesperson, Justus Muhanguzi, said the meeting focused on torture by security organisations, corruption in the court martials, the use of safe houses by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and the Violent Crime Crack Unit (VCCU).
“Mrs. Sekaggya noted that despite the commission’s and other stakeholders effort to fight it, complaints received indicate that there are trends of torture by VCCU and CMI.
She revealed that the commission’s findings at Kigo Prisons and Maki-ndye Military Barracks indicate that suspects with torture marks are dumped there by CMI and VCCU personnel,†the statement said.
The UHRC said torture in the Central Prisons and the Police had reduced drastically.
The human rights watchdog, in a statement, said it has the names of the culprits. The revelations emerged out of a closed meeting UHRC held to end torture of suspects by security organs.
The meeting was chaired by the UHRC chief, Margaret Sekaggya.
The Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, vowed to investigate the allegations but urged the UHRC to provide the army with more details. “She (Sekaggya) mentioned only someone called Lukwago, a prosecutor in the General Court Martial,†he said.
The statement signed by UHRC acting spokesperson, Justus Muhanguzi, said the meeting focused on torture by security organisations, corruption in the court martials, the use of safe houses by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and the Violent Crime Crack Unit (VCCU).
“Mrs. Sekaggya noted that despite the commission’s and other stakeholders effort to fight it, complaints received indicate that there are trends of torture by VCCU and CMI.
She revealed that the commission’s findings at Kigo Prisons and Maki-ndye Military Barracks indicate that suspects with torture marks are dumped there by CMI and VCCU personnel,†the statement said.
The UHRC said torture in the Central Prisons and the Police had reduced drastically.