Lawyer says ‘frustrated’ over denied access to terror suspects by prisons
Some of the terror suspects in court recently. PHOTO/COURTESY/URN
What you need to know:
- The defense attorney said visiting relatives of the suspects are completely denied access to the accused by prison authorities.
A lawyer representing 15 people charged with terrorism and aiding and abetting terrorism following the recent bomb blasts in Uganda has told court that “they are being frustrated by prisons when they go to receive instructions from their clients.”
“As defense advocates, we are made to go through several conditions and even when fulfilled, we are told to first return to the prisons headquarters which of course is illegal,” Mr Geoffrey Turyamusiima told a Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate’s session on Friday.
Mr Turyamusiima said visiting relatives of the suspects are completely denied access to the accused by prison authorities.
He also denounced human rights violation against his clients by security agencies.
“The accused persons first appeared in court on December 23, 2021 and they had all been tortured and it was evident on their bodies. Unfortunately, they were just sneaked in court beyond the court time so that their plight is not recorded in the media,” he observed.
This publication has learnt that a court session presided by magistrate Asuman Muhumuza has now tasked the State Attorney, Ms Patricia Chingtho, to make response to the defense allegations in the next case mention date January 27.
About three weeks ago, a 21-year-old student and another pregnant woman were among 15 suspects charged and remanded to various prisons.
Prosecution alleges that Eron Nanfuka, a student and mobile money operator who resides at Lweza B, Kajjansi Town Council in Wakiso District and her co-accused Sharon Nakitende, 31, a tailor and resident of the same village, between September and November 2021 in diverse areas of Mpigi Wakiso and Kampala aided or abetted, haboured, financed or rendered support to Isaac Matovu alias Muzafaru, knowing or having reason to believe that such support would be applied, used for, in connection with preparation, commission or instigation of acts of terrorism.
The 23-year-old Matovu, who police said was wearing a suicide vest died in an explosion on a bus at Lungala, along the Kampala-Masaka highway in Mpigi District.
Nanfuka, Nakitende and a 21-year-old mobile money operator, Shamirah Naddamba, were arraigned before Buganda Road Court and charged with aiding and abetting terrorism, contrary to section 8 of the Anti-terrorism Act 2002.
The other suspects were charged with belonging to Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group that security operatives have accused of being behind the bomb explosions in Komamboga, a Kampala suburb, near Central Police Station in Kampala and Parliamentary Avenue, among others.
They include Yusuf Muwonge alias Hamza Ssemaganda alias Robert Danze, Ismail Kiyemba, Annet Nakato Nakibirango,33, Zam Naiga, 56, Ismail Matiwa Huzaifa,18, Twaha Wambedde,56, an imam at Kabila Mosque in Nabweru, South ward, Nansana Municipality in Wakiso District, Ismail Matiwa Huzaifa,18,Ishaq Jero, 24, Faisal Nsubuga Nadir, 33.
Prosecution alleges that Muwonge, Kiyemba, Mutiwa, Bogere, Jjuuko, Wambedde, Nsubuga, Twaha, Jero and others still at large between 2017 to date belonged or professed to belong ADF, contrary to section 11 (1) (A) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2002.
