Dr. Kiiza Besigye’s Defence Lawyer, Eron Kiiza in the dock, charged with Contempt and sentenced for 9 months
Kampala, January 07 — Circus engulfed the Uganda military court at the outskirts of Uganda’s capital city in Makindye resulting in the detention of the accused’s lawyer for contempt, rejecting the accused’s foreign lawyer, and adjourning the case for a week.
It was a show of prowess right from sunrise as a heavy deployment of security detail covered the premises of the court martial and nearby areas in preparation for a showdown.
On the other hand, a brigade of lawyers armed with lawbooks headed by former Kenya’s Justice Minister, Martha Karua and Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, stormed the Court Martial to defend their client only to find the gates closed and had to sort themselves out.
It was a Tag of War for the team of over 30 lawyers and a couple of political leaders And supporters of Dr. Kiiza Besigye and his colleague Hajji Obeid Lutale to get access to the court martial premises.
There emerged another session of circus inside the Court Martial when the panel of seven military judges led by chairman Brig. Freeman Mugabe, The rejected a string of lawyers including the Kenyan lawyer, Martha Karua, who had painfully won the battle of getting a practicing certificate from the Uganda Law Council to be the lead Counsel for Dr. Besigye and his colleague Hajji Lutale who have been on remand for now over a month
The Military Judges contend that Dr. Besigye and his co-accused Obeid Lutale never have never instructed Karua and other over 30 lawyers including Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in writing to represent them. They argue that Dr. Besigye instead instructed three lawyers, Fred Mpanga, Apollo Katumba and Earnest Kalibbala of Mpanga and Company Advocates to represent.
As if that was not enough, another circus erupted as vocal Besigye Lawyer, Eron Kiiza, engaged in a heated disagreement with military police officers during court proceedings, was arrested by the military and later pushed in the dock, charged with contempt of court and sentenced to 9 months imprisonment.
The incident occurred amid complaints from opposition members about harsh treatment by security officers while attempting to access the court premises. Former Leader of Opposition Winnie Kiiza and Ingrid Turinawe reported being harassed by security personnel outside the court.
The sentencing of Kiiza prompted the Defence team led by Kenya’s Martha Karua to abandon proceedings saying they could not proceed without one of them.
Karua insisted that the Defendants had instructed them not to proceed without Kiiza because he had critical submissions to present to the court martial.
The Court was adjourned until 13th January, 2025 when Kizza and Obeid will return to court for mention of their case.
1 comment
9 MONTHS FOR WHAT