Drama as UHRC dismisses case against govt

Drama ensued at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) regional office in Lira City on Wednesday when its tribunal dismissed a case of human rights violation against the government.

The human rights body ruled that the case was wrongly brought against the Attorney General. 

The case, filed by six farmers against the Attorney General in 2006, was based on human rights infringements allegedly perpetrated by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers against eight family members in Oyam District on May 11, 2006. 

The complainants are: Catherine Adur, 47, Charles Odyek, 57, Dorine Awili, 80, Polly Atoo, 32, Bonny Okot, 38, and Margaret Atim.

This family in Alee Village, Okwir Parish in Iceme Sub-county claimed the incident resulted in the death of their father and child. Cypriano Ayo (father) died at a private health facility in Lira Town in 2017 while Marino Ogwang died in 2009. 

They both died due to injuries sustained after they were allegedly tortured by members of the army.

Following this incident, the family first instituted a case of torture against some individuals at Oyam Central Police Station but then ran to the human rights body after “delayed justice.”

The matter came up for hearing on Wednesday but a tribunal led by UHRC chief Marian Wangadya dismissed the case on grounds that “the complainants unfairly sued the Attorney General.”

They were subsequently directed out of the tribunal session.

Departing the session room, an 80-year-old grandmother raised her walking stick saying she was cursing the UHRC team.

“We’ve wasted a lot of time and resources pursuing this case and now my husband and son have died for nothing. My God will judge you,” charged the visibly aggrieved grandmother.

But Wangadya noted that any party dissatisfied with the judgment or ruling of the tribunal is at liberty to appeal to the High Court.

In a separate interview with Monitor, she highlighted that the case was instituted at the tribunal following a fight between brothers over a domestic issue.

“One of the brothers alleged that his brother was encouraging his brother-in-law to seduce his daughter and take her away from them without their knowledge. This is a family of several brothers who are in the army. When one family attacked the others, they were not doing so as UPDF soldiers in the course of their employment as agents of the state, but they did so as ordinary individuals,” she explained.

Wangadya emphasized that she would not consider that in assaulting her, the brother was acting in the course of his employment as a soldier in the Ugandan army.

“In fact, before they brought this case here, they had filed it with the police and investigations were underway. So, we thought police should have been allowed to continue with their investigations, and possibly take it as a criminal case to court through the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),” she observed.      

Okot told Monitor they were seeking Shs1 billion compensation from the government for the death of their two relatives and harm suffered in the hands of UPDF soldiers.

Wangadya maintained that their judgement was based on the Ugandan law.

 “There is a very high expectation on the part of the complainants but when deciding these cases, we base on evidence and the law,” she guided.