General court martial withdraws charges against seven Rwandan nationals
The General Court Martial has released seven Rwandan nationals after withdrawing charges of abduction and illegal possession of firearms from them.
The accused persons have been under incarceration since August 2017 over different charges related to illegal possession of firearms. These were arrested from places including Isingiro, Mbarara,and Kampala Districts by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.
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The seven are Renne Rututagungira, Bahati Mugenga, Emmanuel Rwamuco, Augustine Rutisiri, Etiene Nsanzabahizi , Charles Byaruhanga and Claude Iyakaleme.
Charged first, Rutagungira has been battling charges of abduction.
It was alleged that he used a pistol and grenades to abduct Lt. Joel Mutabazi and Jackson Kalemera former bodyguards of Kagame before taking them to Rwanda. He was said to have committed the crime alongside other Ugandan Police officers including Nixon Agasirwe who are also battling similar charges in the same court.
However, today the Prosecutor at the GCM Lt Col Raphael Mugisha informed the Lt. General Andrew Gutti led panel that he had lost interest in prosecuting the seven suspects.
Such withdrawal of charges doesn't mean that the same cannot be reinstated any time.
The court later endorsed the withdrawal of the charges and accordingly set the group free.
Even though the lawyers representing the suspects led by Eron Kiiza welcomed the decision, they want the group to be compensated for malicious prosecution.
The release comes at a time of heated tension between Rwanda and Uganda.
Tension rose markedly in early 2019 after Rwanda closed its Gatuna and Kyanika borders and issued a travel advisory in which it strongly warned its citizens against travelling to Uganda.
Edited by David Tumusiime
