BOBI WINE VIA X-platform:-
Today, I have learned that 19 of the original 32 political prisoners on the #OliviaLutaaya file have succumbed to regime coercion and pleaded guilty to crimes they did not commit after enduring nearly four years of detention without trial. It has also come to light that Mr. Museveni’s minister, Balaam, visited these political prisoners on Saturday —a non-visitation day— and pressured them to plead guilty and seek Museveni’s forgiveness or else they would never leave prison.
It is worth noting that, while we have been routinely blocked from visiting these comrades, regime operatives have had unrestricted access to them during which they have held long, recorded conversations and exercised undue influence over them. Even the few times we have met them have always been brief and conducted in the presence of security operatives and prison warders who insisted on listening to every word of our conversation.
This blatant abuse of rights and misuse of power must make us all to put today's events in their proper context and therefore understand instead of judging these comrades. They have spent nearly 4 years in jail without trial, and without any evidence being presented against them. By the time the comrades were forced to drop our legal team which had represented them since 2021, the lawyers had taken every step in the book to secure their freedom but without success. The regime always made it clear that this was not a legal case but a political one. They were forced to abandon their lawyers and adopt UPDF lawyers!
While we understand the frustration and desperation of those who have pleaded guilty, I salute their 9 other fellow prisoners of conscience who continue to demand a fair trial or their freedom. The day of justice is near. WE SHALL OVERCOME!
What You Need To Know:-
National Unity Platform’s (NUP) Olivia Lutaaya has finally pleaded guilty to charges of possession of ammunition after her delayed trial.
Lutaaya pleaded guilty on Monday at the military court where she had been arraigned. She joins other NUP supporters who have already pleaded guilty in the same case. Those who have already pleaded guilty include Paul Muwanguzi, Siraj Obalai, and Joseph Muganza.
NUP alleges that state minister for youth and children affairs Hon. Balaam Barugahara convinced Olivia Lutaaya into accepting to plead guilty.
Lewis Rubongoya, NUP secretary general, said in a post on X that they learned that Balaam visited Lutaaya and other prisoners on Saturday and talked them into pleading guilty in order to be pardoned.
NUP president Bobi Wine said in September that the regime had promised money and houses to political prisoners who were willing to plead guilty and implicate him.
“The regime—whenever they reached out to them in prison—was promising them money and houses if they could yield to what they (the regime) were requesting them to do—first to plead guilty and then implicate us, especially myself, in crimes that even themselves didn’t commit,” he said.
His comment comes a day after 3 NUP political prisoners pleaded guilty to charges of treachery and possession of ammunition that had been placed against them.
Bobi said they (NUP) sympathize with those who pleaded guilty because everyone has a limit of resistance and that those who pleaded guilty had perhaps reached their resistance peak.
“Of course, we sympathize with these political prisoners. We understand their plight, and we understand that everyone has a certain level of resistance. Probably some of these comrades could not resist beyond 3 or 4 years in prison, and that is how they sold out,” he added.
A group of about 32 NUP supporters were charged with possession of ammunition. Prosecution alleges that between November 2020 and May 2021, the accused were in possession of 13 pieces of explosive devices.
The group has been battling with the charges for over three years now.
According to Section 31 of the firearms act, unlawful possession of ammunition carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
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