The Independent has in the past published stories of Ugandans arrested and tortured by the state. Below is Kalundi Sserumaga’s torture ordeal.

1.       KALUNDI ROBERT SERUMAGA was abducted by five armed men outside the studios of WBS television, Spear House at about 11pm on Friday Sept. 11. Robert had just left the studios where he had appeared on Kibazo on Friday, a talk-show.

2.       He was in the company of Kibazo, Bernard Tabaire, Charles Rwomushana and Mary Ikazi. The men approached him as their group broke up.

3.       As they departed, Sserumaga was approached by the men, two of whom took hold of him by the belt, and told him they were arresting him. He asked them who they were to which one responded police. He held up a piece of paper which may or may not have been an identity card, as he looked away. They then immediately began to assault him.

4.       Sserumaga put up a fight until they threw him to the ground. After that he threw his telephones towards his colleagues.

5.       He then fell unconscious and was dragged from the scene to De Winton Road and was bundled in to the back seat of a waiting Toyota Mark II. He regained consciousness in the car as the men tried to undress him and remove things from his pockets. When he started demanding to be taken to a police station, one of the men tried to cover his mouth, and another fight ensued. As he fought to resist them they punched him and gouged at his eyes with their fingers, and also bent his head backwards and choked him.

JATT/Kireka – September 11

6.     He was driven to Kireka and put in a cell with 25 other men, mainly youth.

7.       In the morning, a procession of guards came to the cell door and made all manner of threats to his life, and made sectarian insults to him, as well as the other  prisoners. Finally the doors flew open and a tall well-built and well-dressed man in his mid-forties stood in the doorway and began to slap and punch him in the face while demanding answers.

8.       This statement is supported by the medical examination carried out by Dr M. Galukande at International Medical Centre, KPC building on 13th and International Hospital, Kisugu between 13th and 15th September 2009.

9.       Kizito Sserumaga searched all Police Stations in Kampala from that time to 3 am to no avail.

C PS– September 12

10.   Kizito contacted the Irish Embassy as Robert is a citizen of Ireland by birth. We went to Central Police Station (CPS) where we were told he was not there and his whereabouts were unknown. We made a public appeal via NTV outside CPS and we were surrounded by five armed soldiers in red berets and two plainclothes men. We immediately made another appeal at a press conference organized by UJA. During that conference, the Irish Embassy informed us Robert was being transported to CPS after which we went back to CPS. We found Kalundi Robert Sserumaga in the custody of Jonah Kule, O/C CID, at CPS. He was being held handcuffed with two other gentlemen, both local councillors from Makindye Division area. They had been tricked out of their houses at night on the pretext that there was a disturbance in the area, and then bundled into a van at gunpoint and taken to Kireka.

11.   We immediately asked that Robert be allowed medical attention. Kule insisted on waiting from instructions but that we would be able to do so. Later we were informed Robert was going to be released after, i). WBS deposited a film of the Kibazo on Friday broadcast with CPS, ii) that Robert makes two supplementary statements and iii). that he provide three sureties. These conditions were met. After the process of providing the sureties, Kule suddenly ordered us all out of the room, including Ernest Kalibbala the lawyer and then informed Robert that he had orders from above to return him to the cells.

12.   We escorted Robert to the ground floor. After that the police physically pushed us out of the station entrance and down the stairs while brandishing sticks. Those of us already outside were threatened by the armed soldiers seated along the wall, numbering over ten and the man in plain clothes from earlier who was carrying a stick.

13.   SEPTEMBER 13: We returned to CPS where Robert was now without shoes and had still not received medical attention. He had tried to inform a woman officer –one Commissioner Ayisu- in CID that he had been assaulted at which she laughed and said it was impossible. Simon Kuteesa, head of Media Crimes Unit informed us that he does not put people in car boots. He received a telephone call in our presence and said in our hearing that the prisoner ‘did not look too bad’. The entire time, there were two Mambas,  outside the station, countless men in plainclothes carrying sticks and whips, people in police uniform carrying sticks.

14.   In the afternoon, we telephoned John Nagenda, media adviser to the president. We informed him that the story had broken in the international media and that we were going to continue to campaign for Robert’s release. Nagenda at that point was aware of the abduction but not of the torture. He arranged for us to meet Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police. Kayihura informed us the Irish ambassador had spoken to him and asked us what we wanted. We said our first priority was medical attention for Robert. Secondly we were formally complaining about being physically assaulted and ejected from CPS. Kayihura telephoned CID director Edward Ochom and instructed him to have Robert examined at a hospital of our choice and admitted at a hospital of our choice if necessary. IGP Kayihura also telephoned Kampala-Extra RPC Sorowen and instructed him to ensure there was no humiliation of suspects and their relatives and the public generally. IGP summoned Ochom and instructed him to implement everything agreed in that meeting and to ensure Robert was taken to a hospital of his choice immediately. He called in on Johnson Karugaba of the Professional Standards Unit to investigate our complaints. We then returned to CPS.

Medical attention

15.   After the Police Surgeon, Dr Moses Byaruhanga arrived, we travelled to International Medical Centre at KPC, under guard. There was an attempt to make Robert travel without shoes in order to humiliate him which we resisted. The armed and uniformed policemen sitting on the back of the pick-up truck and the plainclothes policemen became angry and said they would teach Serumaga a lesson (‘Tujja kukulaga enkola’.)

16.   Dr Moses Galukande carried out the examination and the results are consistent with Robert’s description of the assault. He diagnosed concussion as Robert could not account for some time between the first onslaught and being bundled into the car. He recommended observation, neurological tests and rest. Immediately Dr Byaruhanga stated that he had to be referred to Mulago Hospital. He said it was the law and that Mulago was ‘the national referral hospital’. When he insisted, Mary Serumaga tried but failed to telephone IGP, Kale Kayihura. She then telephoned Nagenda who spoke to Dr Byaruhanga and told him there was no problem with admitting Robert at International Hospital Kampala as long as he was under guard. He said government’s only reservation was that we should not expect them to pay the bills, which we accepted. Dr Byaruhanga still insisted that he needed to speak to CID chief Ochom. We refused to board the vehicles to be taken to Mulago Hospital, a government institution which we felt to be unsafe. Robert stated that if they insisted on Mulago, he would prefer to return to the CPS cells without any treatment. After nearly an hour, Ochom relented.

17.   September 13: Robert was admitted at IHK nearly 48 hours after he had been very seriously assaulted.

18.   Dr Galukande diagnosed concussion and recommended neurological tests. We returned to CPS to collect Robert’s bags. Again, Kule introduced another condition. He wanted, Robert to sign a charge sheet before going to hospital. He also wanted his passport. We ignored both instructions as 48 hours had elapsed and the police were merely trying to legitimize their abduction of Robert Sserumaga. Eventually Kule gave in and we proceeded to IHK.

19.   Robert was admitted to IHK at about 8.30pm where he underwent tests and had some bed-rest. He was escorted by over five armed soldiers to IHK for a CT scan.

Formal charges

20.   Tuesday Sept 15: We were informed that Robert would be collected from the hospital at 10am to go to the Police for finger-printing and formal charging. Robert refused at first to co-operate because he wanted it to be acknowledged that he was being charged after 48 hours of detention had elapsed, i.e. he had been held illegally.

21.   Robert was produced at Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court and charged with six counts of sedition resulting from his remarks on Kibazo on Friday. The State opposed bail and was overruled by the magistrate on the grounds that even if Robert were a “flight risk”, that could be cured by his depositing his passport with the court. Also that because the validity of the sedition laws was being challenged in the Constitutional Court and it was not possible to try Robert immediately, he would grant bail.

22.   We reported to IGP’s office that we were surrounded by ‘security operatives’ outside the court building eavesdropping on our conversations and stated we were holding IGP responsible for our continued security, and left the Court.

Legal /medical costs and solidarity

23.   We would like to express our gratitude to the members of our communities and the public for your overwhelming support. The journalism profession has been a pillar of strength and has boosted our morale with their presence and their coverage.

24.   We are grateful to Open Society, Uganda Journalists’ Association, and East African Journalists’ Association all of whom have offered to pay Kalundi Robert Sserumaga’s legal costs. We are grateful for the fact that his medical costs were covered in advance and without our knowledge. PEN International Clifford Derrick Committee to Protect Journalists (S. Africa) have also expressed solidarity.

Probe into abduction and torture

25.   During the time we were waiting for Dr Galukande’s report at IM Centre, Mary Ikazi spotted a man in a lavender jacket, white cap and dark glasses. He was carrying a long thin stick that was commonly used by Kiboko Squad members during the rioting. He was short in stature, about 5ft tall. He was peeping through the window of IMC where he had been sitting with O/C CID, J. Kule. M. Ikazi froze and told us that he was one of the men who had abducted and assaulted Robert. Mary Serumaga photographed him with a cell phone. The plainclothes policemen with whom he was standing warned him that he was being photographed at which he covered his face with his lapels, turned his back and then they all scattered. One policeman returned and took photographs of M. Serumaga and M. Ikazi. [The following Tuesday at Kibuli Police Station they filmed M. Serumaga and made close-up films of Robert’s children in our view. This was an act of intimidation.]

26.   September 14 at about 5.30pm we spoke to Kayihura about the police brutality experienced by Sserumaga. We thanked him for finally permitting the delayed medical treatment even though it required the intervention of the ambassador of Ireland and other lovers of justice and peace before he acted. We showed him the photograph of the man who had inserted his thumbs and fingers in Robert’s eyes and attempted to gouge them out. We informed him the man had followed us to the International Medical Centre and only ran away after we had photographed him. IGP stated he did not know the man but he would investigate. At first he said he and all those in plain clothes carrying sticks were policemen, if so, he is able to produce this man.

27.   We informed IGP that his instructions about the medical facility Robert should be allowed to access were countermanded by Dr M. Byaruhanga the Police Surgeon and Ochom. They preferred to discuss the matter with persons unknown to us. He seemed to express shock that such clear instructions could be changed.

28.   We requested Interpol be asked to help locate the abductors, to which IGP responded he has no objection although he would prefer we work with Uganda Police in the matter. He assigned Assistant IGP, Okoth Ochola, in charge of Special Duties to investigate the matter. We agreed with Mr Okoth Ochola that we would contact him after the court appearance.

29.   September 15: The same woman officer at CID who had refused to record Robert’s complaint of torture, telephoned him as he left court inviting him to make a statement.

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