Ssewanyana, Ssegirinya mark one year jailed as calls for speedy trial mount

Speaker Anita Among has called for their speedy trial as the Leader of Opposition said in a statement the National Unity Platform were “disheartened” by the circumstances surrounding the MPs’ continued incarceration without trial.

“It all points to one thing – persecution by the State. We condemn the State for this persecution. Clearly, imprisonment without trial tantamount to persecution,” Mpuuga said in a statement released by NUP.

Speaker Anita Among said it is she required the state to accord Sewanyana and Ssegirinya a speedy trial.

“It is one year since our colleague MPs Hon Allan Ssewanyana and Hon Muhammad Ssegirinya were arrested. I ask the Government to ensure a speedy trial for these MPs so that justice is served,” Among wrote on tweeter.

Mpuuga said NUP was not satisfied with the way the judiciary has handled the matter involving their collesgues.

” At one point, the judiciary released the Hon Members on bail but the State re-arrested them on similar charges. Other applications for bail have been unjustifiably denied or not entertained by the Judicial Officers at all, despite the overwhelming evidence on record that the Honourable Members suffer from illnesses to which they cannot get adequate medical attention while in prison. Charges were also raised without completing investigations. This has been a cause of back-and-forth presentation of the Members in Court and return to Prison.”Mpuuga said.

He added that on two occasions he had sought for the intervention of the Chief Justice and the Principal Judge in the matter to prevail over the matter so that the Members get a fair and speedy trial.

” Unfortunately, audience has been denied nor have the concerns received any response.I fear there might be a syndicated move to imprison the Hon Members without trial contrary to Article 23 (1) and 28 (3) of the Constitution. These games have eroded the reputation of the judiciary and the trust citizens ought to have in the judiciary” Mpuuga said.

He added the actions of the State against the MPs has fundamentally contravened their constitutional right to presumption of innocence, right to apply for bail and a fair and speedy hearing.

“For this reason, we are inclined to move Parliament to intervene into this matter so that Hon. Allan Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya Muhammad are released or subjected to a fair and speedy trial. An audit should also be conducted into continued detention of all political prisoners who were arrested and remanded during the 2021 general elections” Mpuuga said.

Charges

Prosecutors claim that Ssewanyana, Ssegirinya, Ssenyonga and others during the night of August 2, 2021 at Kisekka B Village in Lwengo District with malice aforethought, unlawfully killed Joseph Bwanika.