Responding to President Yoweri Museveni’s move to ban police bond for ‘village thieves,’ and to push for the banning of court bail for capital offenders, Isaac Ssemakadde has, on behalf of the Uganda Law Society (ULS) for which he is president, opposed the decision by the head of state.
Telling Museveni to “fight corruption, not human rights,” Ssemakadde made it clear that the Uganda Law Society stands firmly against his purported directive to ban police bond and bail for individuals accused of embezzling PDM and Emyooga funds, who were improperly designated ‘village thieves.’
He added that bail ban and police bond ban both constitute tools of colonial repression. “This move contravenes Articles 23, 28(3)(a) and 99 of the Constitution, and is a stark reminder of the colonial legacy of repression and mass incarceration that continues to plague our nation,” Ssemakadde further noted.
“Mr. President, police jail stints and prison congestion are hallmarks of colonial trauma we are committed to ending.”
What else did Isaac Ssemakadde tell Museveni?
The Radical New Bar will not stand idly by while our justice system perpetuates these injustices. We shall deal firmly with errant police officers and malicious prosecutors through Sections 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15 of the Human Rights (Enforcement) Act.
We call upon the “independent” Director of Public Prosecutions to raise the bar in pursuing corruption cases, ensuring thorough investigations before any arrest, and fair, efficient and just prosecution. No person should be arbitrarily deprived of their liberty due to bureaucratic incompetence and overreach.
It is time to break the police-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately targets the poor, civil society activists and the political opposition, and forge a new path that prioritizes justice, equality, and human rights.
Let us build a justice system that truly serves the people in this New Law Year. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the future generations.
Meanwhile, Museveni has threatened to bring back LDUs or to deploy UPDF to protect coffee from village thieves, castigating RDCs for failing to do their job, as reported Here.
You can read Museveni’s end of year 2024 speech word by word Here.
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