Human Rights defender remanded over fight at Makerere

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According to Mr Kyomuhendo, his client was arrested on orders of Prof Mamdani before being taken into detention at Wandegeya Police Station following the alleged brawl at the department that he heads

KAMPALA.
A Human Rights defender who is also a PHD student at Makerere University has been sent to Luzira prison after he was allegedly involved in a fight at Prof Mahmood Mamdani’s Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).

Nuwagaba Vincent was subsequently, charged at Law Development Center (LDC) court on Tuesday this week before being sent on remand at Luzira prison.

He was charged with malicious damage to property and assault occasioning to bodily harm following a fight with one of the administrators at Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).
It was not readily known to Daily Monitor what could have caused the alleged brawl at MISR.

Speaking to this newspaper last night, the lawyer to the remanded human rights defender, Mr Adam Kyomuhendo Ateenyi, expressed his displeasure with how his client was arrested in a brutal manner.

Mr Kyomuhendo, explained that his client, who is sickly, was arrested last Thursday, and ended up spending the whole weekend in police cells despite his efforts to have him released on bond.

This, he said, was against the constitutional 48-hour rule to have an arrested suspect formally charged before courts of law in less than 48 hours from the time of his/her apprehension.
“A day after he was arrested, I visited my client at Wandegeya Police Station and negotiated for his release on police bond but all in vain. He spent the whole weekend in police cells. On Monday, I filed an application at LDC court to have him released unconditionally,” Mr Kyomuhendo said

He continued: “The application was not heard on Monday on grounds that the State was not ready and the hearing of the application was then pushed to Tuesday. On Tuesday, instead of hearing the application, my client was charged and sent to prison,”

According to Mr Kyomuhendo, his client was arrested on orders of Prof Mamdani before being taken into detention at Wandegeya Police Station following the alleged brawl at the department that he heads.

The LDC court declined to release on bail Mr Nuwagaba on grounds that one of his sureties was not substantial according to court.
The remanded human rights defender is expected to be returned to court in two weeks’ time from now.