Condemned Inmates Oppose Death Penalty
Jul 06, 2003
A TOTAL of 398 death row inmates have signed the constitutional petition against the death penalty, reports <b>Jude Etyang.</b>
A TOTAL of 398 death row inmates have signed the constitutional petition against the death penalty, reports Jude Etyang.
John W. Katende, the lead counsel of the petition, told The New Vision on Thursday that his team of 23 lawyers, had completed a month-long exercise of interviewing and getting affidavits from the death row inmates in Luzira and Kirinya prisons.
He said the petitioning inmates, 16 of who are women, make 99% of all death row inmates in Uganda.
“We have finished interviewing and receiving instructions from all of the condemned inmates. We shall be filing the petitions at the constitutional court.
“Since it’s a matter of life and death, we want to be thorough on every bit of the petition,†Katende said.
Katende described the petition as historic, saying it is the first petition for the abolition of the death penalty, having all death row inmates in the country going to court in a group.
Katende said the petition seeks for abolition of the death penalty on grounds that it’s unconstitutional.
The petition is based on article 24 and 44 which prohibit “any form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment.â€
Katende said through their interviews, they have learnt that many inmates might be innocent but were convicted because they could not afford quality legal services.
Katende said his team had discovered that 85% of inmates are poor and couldn’t afford private lawyers.
He said most of the inmates complained that they were poorly represented by lawyers on state briefs.
Katende said the commissioner of Prisons, Joseph Etima, would also swear affidavits to support the petition like “several†prisons officers who have already given their affidavits against the death penalty.
Ends
John W. Katende, the lead counsel of the petition, told The New Vision on Thursday that his team of 23 lawyers, had completed a month-long exercise of interviewing and getting affidavits from the death row inmates in Luzira and Kirinya prisons.
He said the petitioning inmates, 16 of who are women, make 99% of all death row inmates in Uganda.
“We have finished interviewing and receiving instructions from all of the condemned inmates. We shall be filing the petitions at the constitutional court.
“Since it’s a matter of life and death, we want to be thorough on every bit of the petition,†Katende said.
Katende described the petition as historic, saying it is the first petition for the abolition of the death penalty, having all death row inmates in the country going to court in a group.
Katende said the petition seeks for abolition of the death penalty on grounds that it’s unconstitutional.
The petition is based on article 24 and 44 which prohibit “any form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment.â€
Katende said through their interviews, they have learnt that many inmates might be innocent but were convicted because they could not afford quality legal services.
Katende said his team had discovered that 85% of inmates are poor and couldn’t afford private lawyers.
He said most of the inmates complained that they were poorly represented by lawyers on state briefs.
Katende said the commissioner of Prisons, Joseph Etima, would also swear affidavits to support the petition like “several†prisons officers who have already given their affidavits against the death penalty.
Ends