By Watchdog reporter
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directed the Inspector General of Police, The Chief of Defence Forces and the Director General of Intelligence Services to stop torturing suspects.
In the order Museveni said that the use of torture is unnecessary and wrong and must not be used again.
Reports of torture of murder suspects have appeared in the media. Museveni says torture although used in the past, is now outdated.
“In our traditional societies, torture was commonly used and it was not only accepted but, actually, encouraged. Hence, the proverbs like: “Akabwa kaiba kaihura omugoongo gwaako” in Runyankore and “Akabwa kabbi, kasasula mugoongo” in Luganda, it means that “a stealing dog pays with its back”, like by being struck with sticks (enkoni, emiggo) on the back,” museveni said.
However, he said that traditional ideas had their own mistakes in many instances, that’s why, those ideas that are not consonant with logic should be abandoned.
Museveni took an example of the African Societies where marriages were arranged by parents for the young couples and the couples never had a say in the matter, adding that, that was because in the no nonsense traditional society, marriage was a strictly scientific matter designed to produce off-springs that had no emize (hereditary defects physiologically and behavior wise).
“Today, however, all enlightened people know that the traditional concerns of notwithstanding love among the couple is paramount. It is, therefore, clear that torture in order to extract confessions has possible mistakes,” Museveni added.
He added that torture to extract confessions has three possible mistakes that may even interfere with the fight against crime, Number one, you may torture the wrong person, somebody who is totally innocent which is very unfair.
Secondly, somebody may admit guilt when he is innocent in order to be spared being tortured which also makes the real criminal escape in order to commit more crimes later.
Thirdly, that confessions by the criminals are not necessary even if the suspects do not admit their guilt, if the investigators do their work well (finger-prints, photo-graphs, DNA tests, eye-witnesses, the use of other scientific methods, the use of dogs etc), criminals can get convicted.
“We shall avenge the deaths of: Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga, Prosecutor Kagezi, Hajji Daktur Muwaya, Sheik Jowat Madangu, Sheikh Yusuf Ssentamu, Sheik Yunis Sentuga, Hajji Mohammed Sebagala, Tito Okware, Constable Driver Wambewo Godfrey, Cpl Erau Kenneth, No. 1404 SPC Karim Tenywa, No. 54812 PC Babale Muzamiro, Owori John Steven, No. 44957 Cpl Owori Julius, SPC Isiko, Macho Steven, Okumu Ronald, Sheik Rashid Wafula, Major Kiggundu and AIGP Kawesi,” Museveni promised.
He further added that the criminals are the most annoying by using cowardly but shallow methods of the boda bodas, taking advantage of the large number of vehicles and people in order to commit crime and hide, that however they shouldn’t panic and go back to the defective traditional methods of interrogating suspects.
“We defeated Lakwena, Kony who was being heavily supported by external elements, ADF that was, again, being heavily supported by foreigners, UPA of Teso and also disarmed the Karimojong cattle-rustlers by removing 40,000 rifles from them. We cannot fail to cope with cowards using boda bodas to kill people who are peacefully sitting in their cars or walking along the streets,” Museveni added.
Addition he said that their annoyance with those criminals shouldn’t make them opt for defective short-cuts that those are hardened criminals by default who think that by denying they can kill and escape accountability but nevertheless, they should get them using patient means of evidence but not through torture because evidence through torture is not reliable.
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