Police deny torture allegations

Sep 01, 2017

Nassozi said the police sprayed them with teargas.

A woman who was arrested for reportedly protesting the removal of the presidential age limit from constitution alleges that she was tortured by the Police.

Gladys Nassozi of Nkozi sub-county, Mpigi district told the New Vision that security operatives harrassed her for mobilising the youth against the removal of Article 102 (b) from the Constitution.

Nassozi, a member of the opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and also the Buganda cultural pressure group Nkobazambogo club said was arrested as she walked out of the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala.

"I was picked from our office in Kampala.I was beaten and some of my colleagues were put under the Police pickup trucks before where dumped at various police stations around Kampala. I was taken to Katwe Police station where I spent a week without any charges. I now leave with my uncle in Kibuye for fear of being arrested again," Nassozi said.

However, Police spokesperson Emilian Kayima said he was not aware of Nassozi's case. He insisted that they do not prosecute people on the basis of their political affiliation.

"We are non-partisan. Our role is to prevent the commission of crime and maintain law and order. We do not involve ourselves in politics," Kayima said.

Nassozi said during the protests to de-campaign the amendment of the article, the police sprayed them with teargas and arrested opposition party supporters. 

In its 19th report about the status of human rights in Uganda released last November, Uganda Human Rights Commission noted that torture dominated the list of human rights violations since the statutory body's inception which was established under the 1995 Constitution.

According to the UHRC report, police and its auxiliary units topped the number of complaints registered against it (620 cases) in regard to torture.

UHRC asked security agencies, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Judiciary to prioritise the implementation of the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture Act, 2012.
   

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