Police foil protest against Museveni ICC petition
A group of people who claim to be supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have launched a defiance campaign to fight against people signing a petition to take President Museveni to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During the launch at the under the Century Boda Boda Association’s head offices in Kisenyi on Thursday, Mr Sadat Katabira, appealed to all the leaders and members of his association to block people from signing the petition saying it is a disgrace to the country.
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“We got news that the Opposition led by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and other people want to take our president to ICC saying he is one of the top torturers in Uganda. I want to reassure them that we are not going to allow this as beneficiaries of what Museveni has done for us,”Mr Katabira said.
Police arrest one of the people who were protesting against a petition to take President Museveni to the ICC on December 5, 2019. PHOTOS BY KELVIN ATUHAIRE
He added: “For us who know what Musveni has done are ready to fight anyone. We are going to block anyone that tries to take papers to people around to sign on the petition which is going to punch holes in our president and Uganda.”
The group tried to march to Parliament to present their concerns to the Speaker but were intercepted by police in Kisenyi.
The petition that was launched three weeks ago by the “People’s Government” led by former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr Kizza Besigye, aims at asking ICC to prosecute Mr Museveni and his implicated officials on crimes against humanity.
However, Mr Lukwago scoffed at the campaign to stop them saying their exercise was lawful and that they will not stop collecting signatures to petition ICC.
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Mr Kiryowa Kiwanuka, a lawyer and avid supporter of the ruling NRM party, who often defends it in court, said there is not much to make out of the development
“I’m sure that group is sponsored. It is going to cause mayhem and it might be the same case of [former IGP Kale] Kayihura when we took him to court and he organized the boda boda group of Kitata to beat us. We are not going to be deterred. We shall continue to collect signatures from those who want until we petition ICC,” Mr Lukwago said.
The mayor and his team need at least two million Ugandans to append their signatures. So far, more than 60,000 Ugandans have signed.
