Law society calls for crisis meeting today over arrests
Nicholas Opiyo (centre) leaves Nakawa Court after he was charged with money laundering last Thursday. PHOTO /STEPHEN OTAGE.
What you need to know:
- The meeting expected to commence at 2:30pm was prompted by two petitions from concerned lawyers about alleged brutality against them by security personnel.
Lawyers under their professional association Uganda Law Society (ULS) have called for a crisis meeting to discuss their colleagues’ arrest by security forces.
“Notice is hereby given that an extraordinary general meeting of the Uganda Law Society, will be held on Wednesday, January 6 (today) at 2:30pm to 4pm as a virtual meeting,” the notice signed off by the association’s secretary, Ms Rita Namakika Nangono, reads in part.
It adds: “The purpose of the meeting is to transact the business indicated below; discussion on the growing trend of arbitrary arrests, detention and persecution of advocates in line of duty and proposed actions and interventions to issue.”
The meeting was prompted by two petitions from concerned lawyers about alleged brutality against them by security personnel. They said the extraordinary meeting has been called pursuant to Section 16 (1) of the Uganda Law Society Act which provides that any 15 members of the society may at any time organise a general meeting by a written notice.
In one of the petitions which was filed by human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza on December 30, 2020, he decried the recent arrest of five of his colleagues: Nicholas Opiyo, Anthony Odur, Simon Peter Esomu, Dakasi Herbert and Hamid Tenywa.
“The arbitrary arrests and handcuffing of five lawyers with known addresses who could have been summoned like they do to investors, was an assault to their dignity. The beating of Mr Odur and Mr Esomu, sealed the arbitrary kidnap which was only reluctantly admitted by police after intense public outcry.
Beating suspects in transit is torture,” one of the petitions states.
“For we either fight for the space in which lawyers and the rule of law can flourish or impunity will continue to slaughter our dignity and butcher our profession....”
Mr Opiyo was arrested before Christmas Day at a Kampala restaurant by security personnel. He was detained at Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Kireka for about two days on accusations of money laundering before he was charged in court.
He was arrested jointly with the aforementioned four colleagues who were released on bond.
Mr Opiyo had been representing Uganda National NGO Forum and Uganda Women’s Network, whose bank accounts had been frozen by the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) for allegedly financing terrorism activities.
The ULS said it is protesting the harassment of lawyers, adding that the meeting will decide on the next course of action which may include sit-down protest or boycott of courts.
Background
In 2005, more than 100 advocates gathered at the High Court in Kampala in a sitdown protest against the storming of the same court by a military unit commonly referred to as Black Mamba after a judge had released the then Opposition presidential candidate Kizza Besigye and 22 others accused of treason.
The soldiers, who were clad in black T-shirts attempt to rearrest the suspects. Despite being granted bail, the suspects instead boarded a bus back to Luzira prison for fear of being rearrested.
The heavy security deployment was widely condemned by both lawyers and judges, who saw it as an attack on the independence of the Judiciary.
The irritated lawyers led by their then president, Mr Moses Adriko, gathered in their black gowns and called on the Attorney General at the time to resign.
The advocates under the ULS wanted to send out a stern message to government about their disapproval of what they termed ‘undermining the Judiciary by security’.
