Police have clarified that all the arrested and killed terror people were suspects participating in criminality and nobody was arrested basing on his political, religious beliefs and ethnicity.
Addressing journalists at the Police headquarters in Naguru on Monday, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said that some of the suspects the Police arrested acted as sources that linked them to other suspects. He emphasized that Police are not against any religion or political party.
“No one has been arrested because of belonging to a political party or due to their beliefs, ethnicity or religion. The people who are being picked are those that are participating in practices of violence, atrocities committed against Ugandans. So we are not against any political party or religion like how some politicians claim,” Enanga stated.
He added that the operations which are being carried out by the security agencies are very discriminate and intelligence-led.
“Some of the suspects who were arrested are the ones who led us to the people who recruited them, who radicalized them, or mobilized them, who incite crimes against Ugandans. I want to make it clear that we are not against any religion, tribe or political party.”
Enanga’s clarification follows numerous complaints from the public, which have deemed the recent counter-terrorism operations selective.
In their weekly press conference on Monday, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) condemned what they called extra judicial killings of suspects.
The party Spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said such killings have sabotaged investigations of some crimes such as terrorism, and some profile murder cases.
“Sheikh Muhammad Kirevu is the latest victim of this state-inspired killing. While as a party, we cannot affirm Sheikh Kirevu’s innocence or guilt, we condemn his murder because that is not what our Constitution provides. Article 28 of the Ugandan Constitution presumes every suspect innocent until proved guilty or until that person pleads guilty. The killing of Sheik Kirevu, therefore, qualifies as extrajudicial killing and those who committed it, will one day be personally held responsible,” Ssemujju noted.
He described the killing of Sheikh Kirevu as an intended move because all the earlier suspects in the attempted assassination of Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala were murdered by Police and military men in the same suspicious circumstances.
Kira Municipality Member of Parliament also noted that there is a deliberate move of security agencies to criminalize Muslims.
“Mr. Museveni must also be very careful when profiling suspects. The Muslim community especially of the Tabliq sect is in great fear because of these targeted killings and profiling. Museveni has now turned himself into an interpreter of the Islamic faith. He is a new expert on religious concepts like Jana(heaven). Mosques are being declared radicalization centers by Museveni and Security, we fear they may begin invading mosques while Muslims are in prayers.”
Also over the weekend, the Kampala Central Member of Parliament Muhammed Nsereko tasked Police to produce evidence confirming that the killed Muslim cleric Sheikh Kirevu was recruiting Ugandans into a rebel group of Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
“Now the burden of proof has shifted from the deceased to the Police. The public is questioning why was he killed. The Police have to display critical evidence that pins Kirevu. You showed us the National Identity Card, can you now give us the voices pinning him recruiting terrorists or videos showing him sending people on the bus and other places you claim,” he said.
Following, the deadly twin bombings that went off in Kampala city centre last Tuesday, a good number of suspects have been arrested whereas some have been gunned down by security agencies during counter terrorism operations. All the killed and arrested suspects belong to the Muslim community.
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