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NEWS > 04 May 2011

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British, American Muslims Clai
Eight British and American Shiite Muslims who said they were arrested and tortured by religious police as they prayed during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia called Friday for a full inquiry into their ordeal.

The group, some of Iraqi descent and aged between 16 and 26, told a London news conference they had been detained and beaten by police during their visit to holy city of Mecca.

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<... Read more

 Article sourced from

Ethics in Policing
New Vision
04 May 2011
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Ethics in Policing

Uganda: Lawyers protest police brutality

HUNDREDS of lawyers converged at the Kampala High Court yesterday and presented their petition to the Chief Justice, Benjamin Odoki, condemning the “brutal conduct of the State in quelling protests”.

This marked the beginning of their two-day strike in which they also condemned “the shootings, loss of life, injury to persons and loss of property as well as inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens.”

The lawyers operating in Kampala were received at 9:00am by the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice Mpagi Bahigeine and Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine.

Among the group was DP president Norbert Mao, Kampala mayor-elect Erias Lukwago and former ethics minister Miria Matembe.

The Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, who is a lawyer, briefly chatted with the petitioners and hailed them for “exhibiting the model way through which peaceful protests must be carried out”.

He declined to talk to journalists and left shortly before the start of the ceremony.

The Uganda Law Society president, Bruce Kerere, read out the petition before handing it over to Odoki.

In the petition, the lawyers said their protest was a “symbolic and collective expression of our displeasure with the conduct of the Police in its brutal response to the events of the last three weeks and to express our concerns regarding the apparent interference in the independent of the Judiciary.”

They said the law society and the individual lawyers would provide free legal services to those “arrested under the circumstances cited above.”

They asked the Chief Justice to address their issues and also pass their concerns to the Government. They also called for a dialogue of all stakeholders.

The lawyers also expressed concern over the “indiscriminate” spraying of tear gas and on reports that media houses were being stopped from live coverage of the walk-to-work demonstrations.

They said this was stifling freedom to information and hiding atrocities committed during crackdowns.

They also complained of the increasing erosion of the independence of the Judiciary, citing magistrates with multiple areas of jurisdiction, magistrates refusing to hear bail applications and suspects being remanded before charges are read to them.

They said other areas of concern were the refusal to comply with High Court orders and Police interference in the execution of court orders.

Odoki promised to address the lawyers’ concerns and asked them to return to work.

“I ask you not to negate your duty to fight for constitutionalism and the rule of law without which there would be no civilised society. I ask you to return to work because people out there need your services,” Odoki said.

The Chief Justice also asked Ugandans to respect the law and constitutionalism, which include dialogue, tolerance, compromise and majority decisions, saying this is what will bring peace in the country.

But several lawyers later said they would go on with their strike.
Former law society president Andrew Kasirye said they had collectively resolved to keep away from court for three days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).

“We made a resolution and all of us are bound by it. Our strike is still on and we will not compromise on that. It is only after we convene another meeting that we will come up with another resolution,” Kasirye said.
 
 


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