By Vincent Nuwagaba
Can anybody outside there help me get justice?: John Bosco Olweny
While in Murchison Bay Prison
where I spent 13 days from 25th October to 7th November,
I found it prudent to gather some views from inmates and share with them
experiences. Some of the notes I had written, I failed to trace as I was going
to court but I have some of the notes which I feel obliged to share with the
Ugandans at Heart forumists. I am convinced that if we continue exposing the
grave human rights violations, we will ultimately be able to have a society
free from human rights violations. Sadly, the Uganda Human Rights Commission
seems not to be interested in human rights violations of this nature. This
partly explains the reason as to why the Uganda Human Rights Commission wins
awards as the best National Human Rights Institution because a picture is
painted that the human rights situation in Uganda is improving yet in an actual
sense it is deteriorating and we have many Ugandans who have lost faith in
state institutions and therefore choose to suffer silently because they know
even reporting will give them no redress. Below is the self-reported ordeal of
John Bosco Olweny, Court File 076/08 General Court Martial
My name is Olweny John Bosco. I
was arrested from Nandos along Kampala Road on 19th May 2008 by
plainclothes security operatives only to identify themselves from their
Headquarters, Kireka that they are officials from Rapid Response Unit (RRU).
From around 10:30 am (time of his arrest) both my legs and hands were tied up
with handcuffs. From midday till 17:30 hours I was locked in a small toilet
waiting to be tortured. It came to pass then- they tortured me with batons
while undressed. During this time of torture the operatives were demanding
money to the tune of Shillings 10 million if my life was to be spared. They
maintained that failure to comply with their demands, I would be killed.
After five days or so, I was told
to plead guilty to the offence that I didn’t know of and also which I didn’t
commit – i.e. intent to commit a felony. I never wrote any statement nor was I
taken to court. It was by surprise that after a month on 20th June
2008 I was told by a one Asiimwe to write a caution statement. I was told that
I was involved in a different case which was committed in Arua on 12th
June 2008 together with other three who were brought from Arua on 18th
June 2008. I later found their names to be Ojango Emmanuel, Odong Martin Opira
and Odongo Wilson. I denied any knowledge of having been a partner in crime by
the said names.
It is actually absurd and
irrational for the operatives to contend that I was participant in an alleged
criminal action of the 12th June 2008. Aware that I was already in
the unlawful custody in Kireka from 19th May 2008. If one checked
for the CRB, Lock Up and admission book for the station , they would prove what
I say.
On 1st July 2008
together with others, I was taken to Makindye Military Barracks (Go down). Up
to 7th October I was in detention. The three – Ojango, Odong and
Odongo who later turned to be my co-accused were taken to General Court Martial
and remanded to Kigo Prison. I remained.
On 15th October I was
taken to the General Court Martial only to be told that I was charged with
illegal possession of firearm and attempted robbery. The operatives arrested me
alone without any documents linking me to committing a felony or even with any
weapon as it was alleged.
On 23rd October 2008,
I was in the same dock with the three offenders from Arua whose offence was
committed on 12th June 2008. The hearing was adjourned to 19th November 2008. On 11th November
the case was heard before the then GCM chairman Lt Gen Ivan Koreta. Prosecution
witness one, a complainant named Aziz
and prosecution witness two, a police detective who arrested the three accused
from Arua were summoned.
In their testimonies, both
prosecution witnesses identified the first three accused and stated that they
participated in the offence. This was on 11th November 2008. Both
prosecution witnesses denied knowledge of my arrest and also attested that I
never took part in the attempted robbery.
Prosecution Witness 2 – the police officer said that they were
interested in arresting the other three and indeed they arrested them. That
Ojango was arrested red-handed with a pistol without a certificate contrary to
the laws of Uganda. I was added as accused number 4 which left me in a dilemma.
On 18th December 2008,
our case was fixed for further hearing. Court didn’t sit until the 28th
October 2009 under a new chairman Brig Bernard Rwehururu. Instead of proceeding
with the hearing, the case was mentioned and adjourned to 10th
December 2009. On the 10th December 2009, the first two changed
their plea for all the charges, i.e. they pleaded guilty. They were then
remanded and later on the 16th December 2009 they were brought to
court for mitigation. They were convicted and sentenced to four years for the
two counts.
For the two of us – accused three
(A3), Odong o Wilson and me (A4), the court made an adjournment to 17th
February 2010 in order to summon more witnesses. We were later to go back to
court on 19th May 2010. When we appeared in court on May 19, 2010
defence lawyer Captain Edgar Tibaijuka advised us to apply for bail. With the
help of FHRI’s Rashid Bunya we applied for bail. Sh1.5 million was paid to the
said Edgar Tibaijuka by my mother and my wife. Captain Tibaijuka received the
money but he was aware that he had been transferred from the General Court
Martial for other assignment within the UPDF operational areas. He didn’t even
pay the money for my bail – he used the money.
On 20th July, 2010 I
went to court but it didn’t sit. I was again called on production warrant on 22nd
July. I never entered the dock and I was not told why I was summoned and why my
bail documents were never presented and accepted in court.
On 27th July, I was
again called on production warrant for bail. But again I never entered the
court room. Meanwhile all my sureties
were coming and they were not being told what to do. I learnt later that Capt
Edgar Tibaijuka the defence lawyer ate the money for bail.
I was supposed to report on 12th
August 2010 but I was not picked. The same thing happened on the 14th
September without any explanation. On 29th September 2010, I went to
court but I didn’t enter the court room. On 4th November 2010, my
sureties came and talked to a new defence lawyer Capt Drago who said that Edgar
might have misused the money and further said that my bail application
documents were missing and promised to trace them.
On 12th January 2011,
I went to court but court didn’t sit and an adjournment was made for 9th
March 2011. Again on 9th March court didn’t sit. On 24th,
I again went to court but remained in the cell and I was given an adjournment
to 1st June when again court didn’t sit.
On 25th April 2012, I
was produced in court before Brig Charles Angina. Brig Angina made an
adjournment to 2nd May and said that if the prosecution doesn’t produce
witnesses, he would release me on no case to answer. Unfortunately, court was
stopped abruptly and didn’t sit. To date, I have not been called to court.
My humble concern and request is
to get justice. I have lost money, time and I continue to languish in prison
when I am innocent. The first two accused who pleaded guilty have since
finished their sentence and are now with their families. Ironically, I whom
both the complainant and detective who arrested the others denied ever knowing
don’t know my fate and I always ask, where is justice?
FHRI’s Josephine, Rashid, Adrine
and the rest know my standing and have the copy of my concern and my case is
not new to them. I don’t have money any more, what do I do? Can anybody out there help me get justice and
bail me out of the hell in which I am? May all civilians being tried in the
General Court Martial be tried by the civilian courts for fair and expeditious
trial? People are dying. My humble request is to be helped out of this
dangerous and serious issue.
Background to Olweny’s ordeal
Sometime back before 2006, I was
employed by a security firm tasked with transportation of valuables such as
cash in transit. In October 2006 I was implicated and charged with embezzlement
in the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Buganda Road Court. This was after Violent
Crime Crack Unit (VCCU) which later changed into Rapid Response Unit (RRU)
looted my money worth Shillings 26 million, a generator, photocopier, digital
camera and other household items.
The alleged embezzlement was orchestrated
by the fraudulent action of the bank officials who happened to handover the
consignment when they had already removed the boxes.
I was arrested with others from
my place of work on 13th October 2006. Justice prevailed for me and
the case was disposed off in 2011 in his favour on no case to answer.
The then VCCU told me not to
report to anybody about my money and other property. They threatened to kill me
if I ever reported the matter. I didn’t succumb to the threat.
In 2008, I was arrested because
of my continuous demands of my money and other property. At one time during the
arrest they told me that I should sell my house to rescue me claiming that they
knew it had bought it using embezzled money.
I was in possession of Sh3 million and they said I had to add Sh7
million if I was to be released.
One of the operatives by the name
Nixon Byaruhanga in his words told me to plead guilty to any offence. They said
if not I would die in jail. Byaruhanga said, “These handcuffs are basically to
punish you since you are so mean as you have refused to raise the Sh10 million
and refused to sell the house”. Byaruhanga said, they would fasten the
handcuffs until I confess. Byaruhanga said, “If you confess now, we shall
remove the handcuffs now; if you confess tomorrow, we shall remove them
tomorrow, if you take a year without confessing, you will wear them for a year
and if you never confess, you will wear them up to your grave”.
Much as I was brutally tortured,
I maintained my innocence. Later they irrationally and maliciously implicated
me with the offence of illegal possession of firearms and attempted robbery
with the other three culprits arrested from Arua.
I appeal to human rights
defenders to intervene and avert the travesty of justice against me.
As told to Vincent Nuwagaba
Vincent Nuwagaba is a human rights defender
+256702843552
i sujest he should contact UN human rights com.from there he´d get more attention
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