Court orders torture tests on Kaweesi murder suspects

The suspects leave the court room on Monday JULY 24, 2017. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA

What you need to know:

  • The suspects’ lawyer Ladislaus Rwakafuzi applied to court seeking orders compelling government to take them for medical examination to verify the cause of injuries they had.
  • Kaweesi was gunned down with his bodyguard and driver on March 17 this year as he left his home in Kulambiro. The gunmen made off with his pistol and the escort’s gun.

The High Court in Kampala has ordered that all the 19 suspects in the murder of former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi be taken for medical examination.
Judge Margret Oguli made the ruling on Monday. The judge ruled that the suspects be examined by independent doctors from African Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims to verify the claims of torture in custody. She ordered that a medical report of the findings be brought to court within 14days.

“The only way to find the truth on the allegations of torture is to subject you to medical examination. Court got a chance to see you when you were brought to court. Some were using sticks to support themselves; others were limping which they did not have at the time of their arrest,” Justice Oguli observed.

The judge noted that court cannot trust the medical report by doctors of Luzira Prison since they work for the government whose workers are accused of torturing the suspects.
The suspects’ lawyer Ladislaus Rwakafuzi applied to court seeking orders compelling government to take them for medical examination to verify the cause of injuries they had.

The suspects told court that they were arrested from their homes and unlawfully detained in military custody before being transferred to the dreaded Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja District which is reputed for torture.
They further told court that they had not received sufficient treatment for the wounds.
The judge asked both the government and the suspects to make written submissions on the torture case and wait for her judgement on September 20, 2017.

Kaweesi was gunned down with his bodyguard and driver on March 17 this year as he left his home in Kulambiro. The gunmen made off with his pistol and the escort’s gun.
Many suspects were arrested and remanded but when they later appeared in court, most of them had wounds they claimed were inflicted on them by security officers while in custody.