Shame That We Pay Millions for Torure
Email This Page
Print This Page
Visit The Publisher's Site
The Monitor (Kampala)
EDITORIAL
June 18, 2004
Posted to the web June 18, 2004
Kampala
On Tuesday the High Court sitting in Kampala ordered government to pay one Mr Pascal
Gakyaro Shs 30 million as compensation for unlawful arrest, detention and torture.
Mr Gakyaro, an employee of the Civil Aviation Authority working as an engineer is just
one of many Ugandans, who were caught up in the political tension that followed the
2001 presidential election. Dr Kizza Besigye had just stretched the incumbent
administration and later won a Supreme Court indictment that unambiguously stated that
the polls were flawed and conducted in a manner skewed in favour of President Museveni.
All Besigye supporters, real and imagined soon became regime targets and were picked
up on spurious charges of terrorism and treason. It was by and large raw harassment of
the opposition. Some have since been freed, others reportedly died in unlawful custody
while others still are being held in unknown safe houses.
This is criminal and must be condemned by all peace loving Ugandans who believe in the
observance on human rights and democratic practice.
However, Gakyaro makes up just a small part of the very few who have sought and found
restitution in court. His case is just one amongst the many in which tax payers' money
will be paid out for the State's illegal and illegitimate actions.
In the last five years, hundreds of millions of shillings have been ordered as
compensation payment by the conventional court system together with the Uganda Human
Rights Commission. This money will go to people who have been tortured by security
personnel in illegal detention centres.
Relevant Links
East Africa
Legal and Judicial Affairs
Uganda
Human Rights
It would be immoral to begrudge those who have received this money because it is
rightly theirs. But it is conversely unacceptable that our already stretched national
resources are being spent on avoidable cost centres. This is money that should ideally
be expended on social services like health or extending piped water to the peri-urban
communities.
Instead, the money is poured down an abyss that has been dug by the demon of political
intolerance and security paranoia. Everybody appreciates the sensitivity of a
country's security interests but this excuse should never be used to justify the
harassment of people who are exercising their legitimate and fundamental right to
think freely and independently.
--------------------------------------------
This service is hosted on the Infocom network
http://www.infocom.co.ug
