ON THE REGIME COERCING SOME OF OUR COMRADES INTO PLEADING GUILTY TO CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT
September 10, 2024
Yesterday, Olivia Lutaaya and 27 other comrades appeared before the military court martial at Makindye for the 56th time on charges whose trial has never kicked off since they were abducted, tortured and detained in mid 2021. Throughout this period, they have been maintaining their innocence and had made four unsuccessful bail applications.
We are informed that regime emissaries have been secretly reaching out to these comrades and their relatives, threatening them with even harsher punishment if they do not plead guilty to the charges fabricated against them. The emissaries also kept harassing them to drop the Party lawyers who have been representing them in exchange for military lawyers.
During yesterday’s appearance before the kangaroo court, three of the comrades stated that they were changing their pleas to guilty, and asked the ‘court’ for UPDF lawyers to represent them moving forward. A fourth comrade, Sanya Muhydin, stated that he was misled by NUP and its leaders into ‘committing’ the crimes he is accused of. This is the same Sanya who was recently sentenced by to 8 months imprisonment for ‘contempt’ after he strongly protested their persecution during one of the ‘court’ sessions. These events were recorded by one ‘fool figure,’ an advisor to dictator Museveni, who was in attendance despite an earlier directive from the ‘court’ barring the comrades’ relatives, friends and the public from its proceedings.
We are concerned that the regime has succeeded in coercing these comrades into pleading guilty to grave crimes they never committed, all in the desperate hope that they will finally regain their freedom. The regime is taking advantage of their plight to legitimise the politically-motivated charges against them and its violation of their non-derogable constitutional rights during the lengthy detention. These ae the effects of the regime’s weaponisation of the judicial process to suppress political dissent.
Since 2020, the regime has been trying without success to paint leaders and members of the National Unity Platform as criminals. Our comrades’ involuntary plea of guilty is meant to help the regime achieve this objective, with the ultimate aim of undermining our struggle for freedom and persecuting those who insist on pursuing it.
We condemn this blatant abuse of power and affront to the concept of justice. We also condemn the delay tactics the regime has used since Olivia Lutaaya’s case started nearly four years ago – calculated to punish the comrades for having chosen to exercise their constitutional right to a free and fair trial.
We call upon all Ugandans of good conscience and the international community to stand with us in demanding justice for these political prisoners. The Museveni regime must be held accountable for its continued violation of human rights and persecution of those who oppose it.
We remain firm in our fight for a free and just Uganda where every citizen can enjoy their fundamental rights without unjustified restraint.
Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert
President, @NUP_Ug