Bishops condemn beating of Besigye supporters

Jul 18, 2016

Lumumba said the act by the police who were deployed to escort Besigye through the city, was barbaric and uncalled for.

The NRM General Secretary, Justine Kasule Lumumba has apologized over last week's incident in which policemen beat up opposition supporters who were cheering former FDC presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye.

Lumumba said the act by the police who were deployed to escort Besigye through the city, was barbaric and uncalled for.

"The police are supposed to protect people, not to inflict pain on them. Us in government condemn the act," Lumumba said in Luweero on Sunday.

"The people were just standing by the roadside and were not violent.Even if they had been violent, the police would have used tear gas and not sticks to inflict pain on them," she said.

Lumumba was chief guest during festivities to mark the Kasana-Luwero diocese annual pilgrimage to Waluleta in Luwero, the birth place of St.Kizito Omuto who was one of the Ugandan martyrs.

Earlier on, Kampala archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga and the Kasana-Luwero Bishop Joseph Semwogerere had denounced the much publicized act attributing it to the vices of brutality; callousness and selfishness which they said were eating up the Ugandan society.

"These days there is too much callousness, brutality and selfishness. People nolonger feel for others, they only care about their stomachs," Bishop Semwogere said.

Semwogerere asked the huge congregation of worshipers that turned up for the occasion at Waluleta catholic parish to always be kind to others.

Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga said the police action was in contradiction with the laws that prohibit corporal punishments in schools.

"I think there is a law that bars teachers from beating up students.But, when children see their parents being battered by governments then the law that prohibits corporal punishment in schools loses meaning," Semwogerere said.

Archbishop Lwanga reminded the congregation of Uganda's motto ‘For God and My country, adding that those who have no God in their hearts should at least live by the country's motto.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});