----Original Message Follows----
From: "Omule" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Arrest and Torture in Uganda
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 10:01:25 -0800
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Arrest and Torture in Uganda
Please circulate this to all human Rights groups and any other world bodies
that may help:
On Thursday January 9, 2003 at about 11:00 AM at Cranes Caf� and Lodging in
Soroti (Teso, Eastern Uganda), Mr. Charles Willy Ekemu was arrested by five
armed men in civilian clothes driving a maroon car registration number UAE
347A. The five armed men are believed to be from the notorious Military
Intelligence and or Internal Intelligence Organisation (ISO). Cranes Caf�
and Lodging is located on Market Street in Soroti.
The victim, Mr. Charles Willy Ekemu, contested against Hon. Mike Mukula in
the last parliamentary elections in Uganda. His crime this time may be his
links with the opposition Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) and his support for
the restoration of multiparty democracy in Uganda.
After his arrest, the victim, Mr. Charles Willy Ekemu was searched and
driven to his village home in Kapir Atapar in Teso where the five armed men
searched the home in an apparent search of some undisclosed evidence. Like
it is the norm in Uganda today under Museveni's leadership, the five armed
men had no search warrant and did not identify themselves.
After searching the victim's home in vain, the five armed men drove away
with the victim to an unknown destination. The scene brought back memories
of Idi Amin's days when the so called State Research agents bundled innocent
citizens in their cars at will and drove away with them to their torture
chambers.
Since his arrest, relatives and friends of the victim have mounted a search
for Mr. Ekemu's whereabouts but in vain. It is believed that the victim, Mr.
Charles Willy Ekemu, is either being held in an undisclosed torture room at
the notorious Military Intelligence Headquarters or in one of the notorious
so called safe houses in Kampala.
The Government of Uganda must be brought to book for this blatant and
deliberate abuse of the fundamental Human Rights of the citizens of Uganda.
If Mr. Ekemu has a case to answer, he must be brought to court to answer to
his charges as specified by the Uganda constitution. Detaining innocent
civilians in torture rooms and so called safe houses is an abuse of the
fundamental Rights of Ugandans and is a clear demonstration of the absence
of the rule of Law in Uganda today.
Let us all call upon Human Rights Organisations world-wide and donor
community to put pressure on Ugandan Government to stop the consistent abuse
of the Rights of Ugandans which is now a pattern with Museveni's
administration.
Please circulate widely.
D.C. Bwayo
===============
Gook
�We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of bad people but also for the appalling silence of good people". M.L.King
