The Leader of People’s Front for Transition (PFT) Col. (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye has urged Parliament to formulate a commission of inquiry to look into prisoners’ affairs, and keep track of their legal battles.
The former FDC strong man made this astounding call yesterday, during a press briefing at JEEMA head offices in Mengo, Kampala.
Besigye said during his recent detention in Luzira Maximum Security Prison, he conducted a survey, whose results revealed that most of the inmates are victims of politically motivated and trumped up charges, who are subjected to extremely terrible and appalling living conditions.
Col. Kizza Besigye, also four times presidential contender sounded an alarm, and said that there is urgent need for the formulation of an independent committee, to investigate the living conditions for inmates in their respective places of incarceration.
He made it clear that most of them continue to languish in jails innocently, on top of being subjected to extremely horrible conditions, reminiscent of the days of president Idi Amin Dada.
In his speech, Besigye sternly hinted that if Parliament moves fast and formulates this committee, it will unearth grim facts about the state of affairs for inmates in different prisons and other detention centers, which no one has ever seen, or heard of before.
This, he said will leave the whole nation in total shock and bewilderment, because most of these embattled inmates have spent many years in jail, minus being taken to court, which is against the rule of law.
“Most of them were forgotten, the state nolonger knows they are still in custody, but they are there very many political prisoners, they were arrested on political grounds but even most of them have little or no knowledge on politics. They were massively arrested because of taking part in political processions. Those who fall under this category are very many,” Besigye disclosed.
“The second category are those that are arrested here in the city, on flimsy grounds like road side vendors who were arrested in the past months, during a security crackdown on vendors, and most of these were detained in a certain jail at KCCA court,” Besigye added.
He recommended that even as hopes of having an independent entity in Uganda among citizens have dwindled, an independent commission of inquiry nevertheless be established, charged with monitoring different detention centres accross the country to keep track of inmates’ court cases and look into their living conditions.
Besigye also lashed out at security agencies for violently arresting suspects, moreover on flimsy grounds, warning that this could lead to a state of hopelessness, despair, anger and destitution among citizens, which can easily graduate into political turmoil.
“The mechandise you have is valued at Shs. 10,000. It’s your stock, but when you are arrested and taken to the KCCA court, they want you to pay Shs. 200,000. Where will you get that kind of money? Failure to raise this huge amount is a free ticket to Luzira, and thats why inmates of that sort are many there,” revealed Besigye.
He also stressed the importance of respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, as a cornerstone of a modern democracy but urged that even when these freedoms are taken away from people by detaining them in case of any wrong doing, their living conditions in various jails must be improved.
On the issue of putting maximum pressure on government to ease the uncertainties caused by soaring commodity prices, Besigye said he intends to mobilize workers’ unions and cooperatives, such that they join him in forging a united front, in reminding government to do something about soaring commodity prices which have caused public outcry and unforetold miseries.
“We are aware, that all those who are adversely affected have sounded an alarm, if you are in danger, you make an alarm, but some of our people have no chance to sound an alarm and these are the worst affected, like our colleagues in uniform. It is therefore incumbent upon us to raise their voices, such that we rescue them,” Besigye reiterated.
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