Activist reportedly held by Uganda’s military chief shows signs of torture

According to the justice minister, an opposition activist who Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, claimed he held captive in his basement has appeared in court “visibly weak” and showing signs of torture.

According to Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Eddie Mutwe, who serves as Uganda’s top opposition figure’s chief bodyguard, and &nbsp. Bobi Wine, went missing on April 27 after being kidnapped by armed men near the capital, Kampala.

The eldest child of Yoweri Museveni’s long-time leader, Chief of Defence Forces Kainerugaba, claimed last week that he had detained Mutwe and that he had “used him as a punching bag” after having captured him “like a grasshopper” on X.

Kainerugaba claimed that Mutwe had been tortured and had been shaved.

He remarked of the opposition, “We will discipline them even more if they keep provoking us.”

facing robbery charges

Mutwe was detained on robbery charges on Monday and was later remanded in custody, according to his attorney.

Justice Minister Norbert Mao claimed that Mutwe was “in a visibly weak condition and showing signs of torture” when he showed up in court late on Monday.

According to Mao, the leader of an opposition party and appointed justice minister in 2022, “bringing illegally detained, brutalized, and tortured suspects before the courts of justice is an abuse of judicial processes.”

Mao called on the courts to resolve the opposition figure’s case right away, noting who was to blame for Mutwe’s condition.

Magellan Kazibwe, Mutwe’s attorney, claimed Monday that his client had been subjected to daily electrocution and torture while being held in custody.

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crackdown on opposition

In advance of a general election in January, Wine has been preparing to launch a “protest vote” campaign as part of an escalation of crackdown on the Ugandan opposition.

Wine, a former singer who went by the pseudonym Robert Kyagulanyi and is now Museveni’s main opponent, reported on X on Friday that security forces had “just raided and cordoned off our headquarters.”

He also blasted Mutwe’s abduction, telling the AFP news agency that it “showed the world how law and order has broken down in Uganda.”

Kainerugaba, who is widely believed to be ready to take the place of his 80-year-old father, frequently makes obscene remarks on social media and has stated on X that he wanted to behead Wine.

The Ugandan government has received a lot of international apologies for the abduction of opposition figures, including veteran leader Kizza Besigye, who was sequestered in Kenya last year and was forcefully sent back to face treason charges.

Museveni has refuted claims that he violated human rights, saying that he has been in power since 1986 and intends to run for president in January.

The abduction of Mutwe was not an isolated incident, according to the Uganda Law Society.

Instead, it is “part of a systematic campaign to crush young people’s aspirations for freedom,” the organization said in a statement.