Very saddened by the death of comrade Damalie Musiime who has been a staunch and reliable mobiliser of the @NUP_Ug especially in Eastern Uganda. I send my sincere condolences to her family, fellow comrades, and the country at large for losing such a patriot. Her burial is taking place in Bugiri District, where I am being represented by Deputy President Mama Lina Zedriga and many other comrades. May her gentle soul rest in peace🙏
We're heading back to Kawempe North tomorrow for Counsel Elias Nalukoola's campaigns. We meet at Kawempe Mbogo Playground near the Mosque at 02:00 PM. #Nalukoola4KawempeNorth
We have learnt of the violent murder of a #PeoplePower/ National Unity Platform activist Nimusiima Anselm. He was killed in Katenga, Mitooma District on Friday night. According to our teams on the ground, Nimusiima, who was a boda-boda rider in Ishaka town was lured into a trap by someone who pretended to be a passenger, and on reaching some dark spot, they found others who strangled him and hit him with sharp objects, leaving him dead. We have been told that Nimusiima has been getting threats for defiantly identifying with us through his dress-code and activities. At only 28 years of age, he joins the many comrades violently murdered, for apparently giving themselves to the struggle for a better country! We would have called on the police to carry out investigations if only they had shown the least interest in investigating the murders of comrades like Lochoto Ambrose Machete, Ritah Nabukenya, Dan Kyeyune, etc etc. But we remain hopeful that one day, there will be justice for all these crimes!
Tomorrow morning, we converge at Makerere-Kavule to pray for, and remember our fellow citizens who lost lives between 18th and 19th November, 2020. In those two dark days, the Museveni regime shot and killed over 150 Ugandans in cold blood. Four years later, there has been no justice for the victims of the heinous crimes. And yet we remain hopeful that one day, there will be accountability for all crimes committed against the people of Uganda. Each year, we meet to pray for the souls of those who departed, comfort their families and amplify our demand for accountability and justice.
#M7NovMassacreUg
This afternoon while we were at the General Court Martial meeting the NUP political prisoners, Gen. Museveni's minister Balaam came in to see them! They told us that he went to Kitalya and Luzira prisons on Saturday and met with them. He told them to plead guilty and apologize to Gen. Museveni if they want their freedom. Resultantly, most of them have given in and pleaded guilty including Olivia Lutaaya and Saanya Muhuydin. Only 9 of them have thus far stuck to their guns and refused to plead guilty. These are Ssekitoleko Yasin Machete, Patrick Mwase, Sharif Kalanzi, Joseph Muwonge, Abdallah Kintu, Umar Emma Kato, Kavuma Musa, Jimmy Galukande and Gibusiwa Abdallah. Even these nine, the regime is pressuring them to plead guilty. Rightfully, they're asking the regime to produce evidence against them and try them. The regime has of course deliberately used this military court to keep them in jail without trial. The ones who have pleaded guilty told us they only did this because THEY'RE TIRED of the long detention with no end in sight. After close to four years of detention without trial, anyone can understand the frustration and despair.
Such a travesty of justice!
Today, I have learned that 19 of the original 32 political prisoners on the #OliviaLutaaya file have succumbed to regime coercion and pleaded guilty to crimes they did not commit after enduring nearly four years of detention without trial. It has also come to light that Mr. Museveni’s minister, Balaam, visited these political prisoners on Saturday —a non-visitation day— and pressured them to plead guilty and seek Museveni’s forgiveness or else they would never leave prison.
It is worth noting that, while we have been routinely blocked from visiting these comrades, regime operatives have had unrestricted access to them during which they have held long, recorded conversations and exercised undue influence over them. Even the few times we have met them have always been brief and conducted in the presence of security operatives and prison warders who insisted on listening to every word of our conversation.
This blatant abuse of rights and misuse of power must make us all to put today's events in their proper context and therefore understand instead of judging these comrades. They have spent nearly 4 years in jail without trial, and without any evidence being presented against them. By the time the comrades were forced to drop our legal team which had represented them since 2021, the lawyers had taken every step in the book to secure their freedom but without success. The regime always made it clear that this was not a legal case but a political one. They were forced to abandon their lawyers and adopt UPDF lawyers!
While we understand the frustration and desperation of those who have pleaded guilty, I salute their 9 other fellow prisoners of conscience who continue to demand a fair trial or their freedom. The day of justice is near. WE SHALL OVERCOME!