Journalist kidnapped by state security operatives
By Timothy Nsubuga
25th July 2011:
Under fire: Kulaigye admits holding Journalist
Government security agents this month lured a Journalist into a number of bogus interview appointments, kidnapped him as soon as he arrived at one of the bogus interview venues, and then held him incommunicado for several days without charge, Human Rights Watch [HRW] has revealed.
Human Rights Watch also expressed concern that security forces who kidnapped Okello continue to deny him basic due process rights. In a July 23rd statement, Human Rights Watch said: “…The Ugandan government should immediately release or bring to court Augustine Okello, a Journalist from Lira-based Radio Rhino who was forcibly disappeared on July 12, 2011”.
How the kidnap plot was hatched and executed
According to local sources who spoke to Human Rights Watch, Okello was last seen on July 12th in Lira, in northern Uganda. Lira’s District Internal Security Officer (DISO) Steven Eryaku allegedly phoned Okello and they met first at the police station and then later in the evening at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Lira.
Since then, Okello’s phone has been switched off and he has not returned to his home or his work. Human Rights Watch and local journalists and human rights organizations have made multiple inquiries with the police about Okello’s disappearance. For over a week, police and other government sources consistently denied knowledge of Okello’s whereabouts.
On July 22nd however, Army Spokesman Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye finally admitted to the government owned Rupiny Radio that Okello was in the hands of Uganda’s counterterrorism forces in Kampala. On July 23rd, the Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayhiura also confirmed to Human Rights Watch that Okello “…was arrested by the security and is to appear in court soon”.
Okello’s precise location remains unknown. “…It’s completely unacceptable that Okello was forcibly disappeared by the government for 10 days while his family and friends anguished about his fate. Okello should be released immediately or brought before court if the authorities have any credible charge against him”, said Maria Burnett, Senior Africa Researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Under Uganda’s constitution, Okello has the right to be brought before court within 48 hours of his arrest. He should also be granted access to his family, a lawyer, and a doctor, as required both by Ugandan and international law.
A record of illegal detentions by security agencies
Human Rights Watch has documented past instances of enforced disappearances and torture by Uganda’s counter-terrorism force the Joint Anti-terrorism Task Force (JATT), a unit that draws its members from the military, police, and intelligence organizations and reports to the Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI) Brig. James Mugira.
Under the strict letter of Ugandan law however, JATT has neither the power nor the mandate to make arrests. It’s only empowered to collaborate with the police. Since 2009, Human Rights Watch has however documented several instances of long-term incommunicado detention without charge by JATT. In many cases, the people the task force held were released without charge, sometimes after months of detention in undisclosed locations.
In many cases, families of illegally detained people have resorted to filing Habeas Corpus writs to compel the government to produce their loved ones before the courts of law. In 2008 for example, JATT detained two South African nationals in an undisclosed location for over 11 days and deported them on the day they were due to be produced in court following a writ of Habeas Corpus.
The practice of “disappearances” is absolutely prohibited under international law and violates basic human rights, including the right to life, the right to liberty and security of the person, the right to a fair and public trial, as well as the prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment.
“…Ugandan military and civilian authorities should immediately stop using the tactic of enforced disappearances, which cause family and friends excruciating pain”, Burnett said. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
