Lawyers: Uganda’s judiciary now treating Constitution like a museum piece
Ssekanjako argued that many judicial officers now begin with the seriousness of the offence rather than the constitutional right to liberty, reversing principles that have guided criminal justice for decades.
“The Constitution was not written to become a museum piece. Its provisions must continue to grow and respond to the demands of every generation. Human dignity evolves with society, and constitutional interpretation must evolve with it. If courts become hesitant to defend liberty, then the rights guaranteed on paper risk becoming promises that citizens cannot meaningfully enjoy,” he argued.
He cited former principal judge James Ogoola’s landmark interim bail ruling in Besigye’s 2005 case as one of the strongest judicial affirmations of liberty ever delivered in Uganda.
“Justice Ogoola made it very clear that it is the responsibility of the court to justify why an accused person should remain in custody,” Ssekanjako said.
“The duty is not on the accused to convince the court that they deserve freedom. The duty lies with the court to explain why liberty should continue to be taken away. That understanding places constitutional rights where they belong, at the centre of criminal justice.”
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Kisanja No Sleep started on a high gear at the minister’s’ induction in Kyankwanzi. Urging every youth out there to buckle up! The transformation we yearn for starts with you!
In May 2013, the government of Uganda sent armed police to shut down the country’s biggest independent newspaper because it printed something the regime insisted was a lie. Thirteen years later, the man at the centre of that so-called lie has gone on Twitter countless times, unprompted, to tell us it was all true.
Let me take you back, because the story is almost too neat.
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Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba says he's now been authorised by his father, President Yoweri Museveni, to shut down @DailyMonitor and @ntvuganda over claims that they have over time mocked the family's 40-year.
He's also threatened to have his political outfit, Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), forcefully take over as Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), where his father's political party, National Resistance Movement (NRM), commands the majority.
He has further threatened to arrest current LoP Joel Ssenyonyi and former MP Ssemujju Nganda for criticising his modus operandi when he boasted over the kidnap and torture of former Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago.
Ssemujju and Ssenyonyi said the current political crisis in the country mirrors the dictatorial era of Idi Amin Dada, when state abduction and killing of political opponents, silencing the media, breakdown of institutional governance and independence - especially parliament and judiciary, was the order of the day.
Mr Medard Lubega Ssegona, lawyer for former Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, has asked court that in case his client is not released on bail, court should order that he be allowed to go to prison with an orthopedic mattress due to his back medical condition. 📹Abubaker Lubowa #MoniotorUpdates
UPDATE: Former Lord Mayor and lead lawyer in the Kizza Besigye case, @EriasLukwago_ , has been charged with misprision of treason, a charge he has denied. #NTVNews
Misprision of treason refers to the alleged failure to report knowledge of plans to overthrow or change the government to the relevant authorities unlawfully.
📹Abubaker Lubowa