FDC takes cops to court

Nov 21, 2019

Recently Police indicated that there was no need to prosecute the cops for allegedly brutalizing and smashing Besigye’s car windscreens.

KAMPALA-The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) top leadership has directed the party legal team to file a lawsuit against four police officers for allegedly using brutal methods to arrest party officials.

The party deputy spokesperson, John Kikonyongo, yesterday confirmed that top party management on Thursday last week approved legal action against two police officers involved in the brutal arrest of the founding party president and former presidential candidate, Dr. Kizza Besigye.

"We resolved to start with the most recent top culprits that include ACP Dennis Namuwoza who was seen on camera trying to box and squeezing Dr.Besigye's private parts and SSP  Rashid Agero who smashed the windscreens of Besigye's car and sprayed him with a chemical yet to be identified," Kikonyogo said.

Besigye together with other FDC party supporters were arrested during a police foiled party rebranding meeting at Namboole National Stadium recently.

Kikonyongo said, the party legal team was expected to file the case by yesterday. "This is in line with the human rights (Enforcement) Act 2019 assented on March 31, 2019," he said.

The Act clearly defines acts of torture, detention of suspects beyond 48 hours, denial of right to affair hearing among others.

Kikonyongo told journalists at a weekly party press briefing at Najanankumbi in Kampala, that police impunity more especially by some individual police officers, have reached a beyond redemption level that only legal action can help to fix.

Recently Police indicated that there was no need to prosecute the cops for allegedly brutalizing and smashing Besigye's car windscreens.

The Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga said, whatever the officers did to Besigye and other party supporters was within the law and the embedment of the standards of police operations procedures on dealing with riots.

Police instead accused Besigye of adamantly parking his car in the road disrupting traffic flow along Kampala-Jinja Road at Kireka on top of failing to collaborate with Police.

However, according to FDC, Enanga may be required as a witness in the case against the police officers because of the knowledge he has over the matter.

"We are doing this for all Ugandans. We do not want what happened to Dr.Besigye, to happen to any other Ugandan," Kikonyongo said.

Kikoyongo said, the two other Police officers he did not name attacked the party staff who was reviewing the video of Besigye being brutally arrested at the party headquarters. "They attacked our staff and sprayed them with chemicals we do not know up to now," he said.

The party vowed to continue with its internal party activities in the run-up to the 2021 elections.

He said the party was in preparations to mark the 15th anniversary of the party scheduled for December 16, at Namboole.

"Over 10,000 leaders of FDC and members from all over the country are expected to grace the ceremony. FDC has also invited leaders from sister political parties in Uganda and the African continent," he said.

The FDC party was born out of emerge of three political platforms, Reform Agenda, Parliamentary Advocacy Forum (PAFO) and National Democratic Front (NDF)."We do not expect police to interrupt us again," Kikonyongo added.

 

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