Tumukunde Blocked From Lawyer

Aug 01, 2005

BRIG. Henry Tumukunde, who is under confinement at a military facility in Kololo, has for the past two weeks been denied access to his lawyer, McDusman Kabega.

By Hillary Kiirya
BRIG. Henry Tumukunde, who is under confinement at a military facility in Kololo, has for the past two weeks been denied access to his lawyer, McDusman Kabega.
In one of his affidavits to the High Court supporting his application for a certificate of urgency to challenge Lt. Gen. Elly Tumwine’s competence to hear his cases, Tumukunde said the General Court Martial (GCM) had passed on instructions barring Kabega from seeing him. He did not, however, attach the document that contained the instructions.
Tumukunde also complained of inhuman and degrading conditions at his remand home, which he said were likely to endanger his health.
“I am being held under very
deplorable conditions as the detention centre is full lice, bedbugs, fleas and is very damp, which is seriously affecting my health and continues to torture me mentally and physically,” Tumukunde said in the affidavit.
He said unless the High Court intervened, he would continue to suffer mentally, physically and his rights would continue to be violated.
Tumukunde has been under custody at the Senior Officers’ Mess in Kololo since May. His bail application comes up for hearing at the General Court Martial on August 12.
Kabega confirmed that he had been denied access to his client. “It is now around two weeks since I last went there. I do not know what is happening because I am not allowed to see him.”
He said before he was told of the new orders by the guards, they (guards) used to subject him to a degrading search before he could be allowed to see Tumukunde.
“You have to remove your shoes, park your car metres away and leave the key with them and have your wallet thoroughly checked. This alone was too much because why should they think that I have gone there with a bad motive.
“The man is my client and I have to consult him but that is that, there is nothing one can do about it,” Kabega said.
Ends

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