Friday, December 18, 2015

More on the Uganda Constitutional Court litigation

There is additional coverage of the pending challenge to Uganda's use of courts-martial to prosecute civilians. According to this account:
Former People's Redemption Army (PRA) rebel chief, Rtd Capt Amon Byarugaba and two civilians have petitioned the Constitutional Court challenging their trial in a military court. 
Byarugaba, Hasibu Kasiita and Mathias Rugira, who are representing 167 others, are seeking declarations that by charging them in the Court Martial for offences of treason, murder and abetting a person subject to military law in the commissioning of a civil offence was a violation of the Constitution. 
The petitioners through their lawyer, Ladislaus Rwakafuzi are seeking also seeking a declaration that all civilians being tried for civil offences before military courts be transferred to civil courts. 
"The civilians should be transferred before civil courts and if the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) is interested in pursuing criminal charges against them, they will proceed," stated a plaint, signed by the petitioners.
Under contemporary human rights standards, the use of military courts to try military retirees is as improper as trying civilians who have never been in the armed forces at all. 

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