Sunday, 27 January 2013
Besigye Arrested, Released Without Charge
SOURCE: THE RED PEPPER, 27 JANUARY 2013
http://www.redpepper.co.ug/?p=5211
Kiiza Besigye Being arrested during the 2011 protests. He was on Saturday arrested again for disobeying Police orders
Former Forum for Democratic Change leader Rtd Col Dr Kiiza Besigye who was on Saturday arrested by the Police for disobeying lawful orders after he attempted to participate in the planned cleaning exercise that the Police had outlawed was released later on Saturday night without any charges, according to one of his aides Francis Mwijukye.
Mwijukye who is a member of FDC’s National Publicity committee said the Rtd Col refused to sign a Police bond and be released without charge, however he was forced to change his mind at around 10 pm in the night when Police officers at Kiira Road Police station ‘deserted’ it leaving his team with no option but to take him home.
“Police was yesterday thrown into confusion after Dr. Besigye refused to make a statement at police and refused to sign a police release bond. He said he cant leave the police unless he is charged. He also said he cant sign a police bond because he did not request for it and at around 10pm security started abandoning the station one by one until only juniors remained and we took the Dr. home. They had been used to… take him to the police cells and in the evening they make him sign a statement and give him a police bond. now the game has changed, no more talking at police” read Mwijukye’s statement posted on his Facebook wall Sunday morning.
Police authorities said Saturday they arrested Kizza Besigye over plans to restart anti-government demonstrations in Kampala with the excuse of a cleaning exercise.
“Following attempts to unlawfully assemble and carry out riotous demonstrations … Kizza Besigye has been arrested this morning,” a Police statement said on Saturday.
The police said Besigye was charged with “refusal to obey lawful orders” and was being held at a Kampala police station along with Kampala mayor Elias Lukwago. However, this is contrary to Mwijukye’s statement that didnt indicate whether the Rtd colonel was charged
Opposition pressure group For God and My Country (4GC) announced plans last week to launch fresh protest events, despite the fact the group was last year outlawed by government.
The government banned the group claiming it had ulterior motives other than demonstrating against the harsh economic times during that period.
The group held Protests dubbed ‘walk-to-work’ over rising living costs in 2011 in the aftermath of the general elections and this led to a fierce clampdown by security forces that left at least 10 people dead across the country.
Kiiza Besigye, a former presidential challenger and leader of main opposition party Forum for Democratic Change, has been detained repeatedly as he has endeavored to restart opposition demonstrations.
CIID ordered to summon 4GC leaders
SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 27 JANUARY 2013
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/CIID-ordered-to-summon-4GC-leaders/-/688334/1675026/-/15imptd/-/index.html
IN SUMMARY
Mr Kaweesi alleged that the politicians, including former Forum for Democratic Change President Kizza Besigye and Mr Mathias Mpuuga engaged in unlawful society.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander, Mr Andrew Felix Kaweesi, has ordered the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department to summon all opposition politicians who attended the For God and My Country (4GC) press conference at Katonga Road in Kampala on Wednesday.
Mr Kaweesi alleged that the politicians, including former Forum for Democratic Change President Kizza Besigye and Mr Mathias Mpuuga engaged in unlawful society.
“The Attorney General declared 4GC and its activities illegal. So these people met at Katonga Road and participated in unlawful society,” Mr Kaweesi said yesterday.
It is, however, not clear how the police came to a conclusion that the group was holding an illegal meeting.
Mr Kaweesi said they got information through intelligence that the meeting was attended by the members of a banned society.
Other officials targeted are Jeema party president Asuman Basalirwa and Mr Muwanga Kivumbi for Butambala County.
Other officials targeted are Jeema party president Asuman Basalirwa and Mr Muwanga Kivumbi for Butambala County.
The summonses come at a time when the KCCA Lord Mayor, Mr Erias Lukwago, announced a cleanup exercise in the city centre on Saturday which the opposition leaders are expected to participate in.
Mr Kaweesi said since the cleanup exercise has been hijacked by the 4GC, they would not allow it to take place.
Mr Kaweesi said since the cleanup exercise has been hijacked by the 4GC, they would not allow it to take place.
“The function has been taken over by the 4GC therefore we can’t allow an illegal society to take place,” he said.
Mr Mpuuga, when contacted yesterday, said they cannot be intimidated by the police summonses because that is one of the methods used by dictatorial regimes to suppress human rights.
“These summonses they want to use don’t move us an inch. We are waiting to be arrested and detained. This has become part of our life in the fight against dictatorship,” Mr Mpuuga said.
He said they are challenging the Attorney General declaration of 4GC in court, adding that they would participate in the clean-up exercise despite the police warning them against it.
Police detain Besigye and Kampala Mayor Lukwago
SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 27 JANUARY 2013
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Police-detains-Besigye-and-Kampala-Mayor-Lukwago/-/688334/1675834/-/r8appg/-/index.html
The Kampala north director of operations, Mr Sam Omala, grabs a garden fork from Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago before he was arrested and taken to Kiira Road Police Station. Police had earlier camped at Mr Lukwago’s residence from as early as midnight to bar him from participating in the opposition-led city cleaning exercise.
Former Forum for Democratic Change President, Dr Kizza Besigye and Kampala Lord Mayor, Mr Erias Lukwago were Saturday morning arrested and detained at Kiira police station and Kira Road Police station respectively.
Police say the politicians will be interrogated for participating in an event organised by an outlawed group.
Mid-last week, Dr Besigye and several other members of the pressure group known as For God and My Country (4GC) held a press conference in Kampala which the police declared illegal saying attending the group’s activities tantamounts to unlawful society.
This prompted Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander, Mr Andrew Felix Kaweesi, to order the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department to summon all opposition politicians who attended the press conference at Katonga Road in Kampala on Wednesday, culminating to the arrest of Dr Besigye and Mr Lukwago.
Others being hunted by police over the same charges are Jeema party president Asuman Basalirwa and Butambala County MP, Mr Muwanga Kivumbi.
Dr Besigye was picked from his Kasangati home early this morning and taken to Kiira police station. Mr Lukwago is being held at Kiira Road police station. It is not clear when the two will be charged.
The arrests come just a day after the two were issued with police summons to appear at the Kireka- based Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Police Summons Besigye, 4GC Leaders Over Cleaning Exercise
SOURCE: THE RED PEPPER, 26 JANUARY 2013
http://www.redpepper.co.ug/?p=5176
Former FDC President Kiiza Besigye
MPs Muwanga Kivumbi and Mathias Mpuuga, FDC Women League boss Ingrid Turinawe and JEEMA leader Asuman Basalirwa were informed of the summons on Friday according to Deputy Police spokesperson Vincent Ssekate.
The activists who are expected to appear at Special Investigations Unit in Kireka will be grilled by detectives for what police has termed as “managing an unlawful assembly.”
The 4GC activists including Besigye, mid-week announced the resumption of political undertakings in Kampala including a cleaning exercise of the city expected for Saturday.
According to Mathias Mpuuga, the 4GC Coordinator, while addressing the press on Wednesday at the group would be joining Kampala City Mayor Erias Lukwago this weekend to participate in the Clean Kampala exercise.
He called on all Kampala citizens to turn up in big numbers armed with all cleaning gear to carry out the exercise.
Leading opposition figures are expected to address would address city residents at what he termed a “consultative rally”. The venue for this rally Nakivubo Blue Primary School.
According to Police, the said cleaning exercise is an excuse by the activists to gather and cause chaos which he said security will not tolerate instead vowing to arrest those who participate.
Deputy Police Spokesperson Vincent Ssekate said while the onus is on Police to respect and uphold the constitutional rights of individuals and groups to assemble and express their opinions, it will not tolerate actions intended to put others’ lives and property in danger.
4GC replaced Activists For Change, an advocacy group created by mainly opposition figures in the aftermath of the last Presidential elections.
Their actions saw a spate of violent engagements between the activists and Police as the latter tried to block the former from organizing riots in the city which the activists claim were to protest the harsh economic times.
The government has treated this group with suspicion claiming their aim is to overthrow the establishment. Last year, the government outlawed the group.
What waits to be seen however is whether the opposition leaders summoned will honor their summons as they have a history of going against them.
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