Democratic President Norbert Mao has announced that he is preparing to sue government for malicious prosecution and unlawful detention.
He also announced that he was appealing to the International Criminal Court to open files on certain Police officers in the country. Mao told journalists that the police manhandled him as they arrested and dumped him on their van.
Video clips also show Mao, FDC President Kizza Besigye being forcefully arrested and dumped on Police vans for attempting to walk to their work places. Mao is one of the many opposition politicians that were arrested, detained and charged for attempting to walk to their work places in protest of the escalating commodity prices.
Unlike other opposition leaders that were released on bail, Mao was released unconditionally. He however spent over seven hours in detention at Kiira road police station after he was forcefully arrested from Ntinda – a Kampala suburb
Police Chief Kale Kayihura, however said that the arrest and detention of opposition leaders was lawful and in order. But religious leaders, human rights activists and the international community has criticised the arrest of the leaders.
Mark toner, acting deputy spokesman, US Department of State expressed concern on arrest of former opposition presidential candidates Kizza Besigye, Norbert Mao, and other opposition leaders saying that freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights and a critical component of functioning democracies.
“We call on the Ugandan government to respect the opposition’s right to express its viewpoints and citizens’ rights to demonstrate peacefully and without fear of intimidation,” the statement from the US Department of State.
Meanwhile other opposition leaders have announced that they are camping at parliament in a hunger strike as they continue with the protest.
Its time some of this fellows went to the Hague, particularly Kayihura himself!
Mao used to claim that Besigye was too angry, too militant and too rough, i guess he has since realise that diplomatic gloves can’t handle Gen M7 and his cohorts. I guess the day Moreno Ocampo demands to investigate any of Gen. M7′s lieutnants, uganda’s political landscape will change for enternity.
I feel the anger of the opposition leaders but taking such a case to ICC is being trival. The ICC was set up to try people for crimes against humanity eg the Rwanda genocide, killings in Dafur, Kony’s massacres, Charles Taylor’s killings in Liberia to mention but a few. The local courts in Uganda are there for Mao’s grivences. He could possibly get compesation for the rough way he was handled but the IGP is right to say that their demonstration was illegal since they had not got the relevant permission from the police as is required by Uganda laws. It may make one’s blood boil but the law is the law. You cannot for example kill a robber who has robbed you and claim to have done it legally. You will still have commited a crime which is murder or manslaughter.
Don’t you still get it! informing the police is not meant to sought their permission, but rather to ask them for the protection of the individual or group concerned. If the individual or group dont need police protection, why should the police be informed? Especially a police force that has shown that it is biased anyway, and would frustrate any efforts to express freedom of any kind? Kayihura thinking he has the last word, NO HE DOES NOT!!!
kayihura you are a thug . howdo you charge somebody who has decided to walk to work. then you should provide transport for all people going for work.uganda police yopu are being used by politicians to harass people when the govt changes we shall look for you