“Zaake was not tortured; his wounds were self- inflicted”- Minister Kania

The State Minister for Internal Affairs, Obiga Kania has told Parliament that Mityana South legislator, Francis Zaake was never tortured during his arrest as being alleged.

Zaake was arrested on April 19 from his home at Buswabulongo in Mityana municipality for distributing Covid-19 relief food contrary to the presidential directive that banned the same for fear of spreading the deadly virus.

On Thursday, the Minister presented a report to the August House about circumstances surrounding the injuries on Zaake’s body as had been directed by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

Kania admitted that Zaake had bruises by the time he was received at the Special Investigations Division in Kireka but said the injuries could have been brought about by a scuffle he had with police officers while being removed from a police cell in Mityana.

“Hon Zaake held the metallic door of the cells and also placed one leg inside in between metal bars so that it is difficult for police to pull him out. FFU personnel pulled him out by force from the metallic bars,” Kania told Parliament.

In his affidavit before the civil division of the High Court, the legislator said officers fastened a rope and chain onto metallic seats above him on a patrol vehicle and suspended his body above the metallic floor as he dangled below the seats.

“After suspending me below the police truck’s behind seats, the officers drove me at a very high speed .Whenever we hit humps or potholes, my body would swing violently and hit the sides of the metallic surroundings. I eventually became numb in my legs and hands as a result of the unbearable pain,” Zaake says in his affidavit.

However, according to the Minister, after realizing that Zaake was hostile, officers had to handcuff him on both hands and that it is also possible that as he was being driven on a patrol vehicle, he injured himself.

“According to the statement of the car commander, Hon Zaake kept on knocking himself on the metals of the pick-up. It is probable that these injuries were as a result of the knocking.”

The Speaker of Parliament however deferred the debate on the statement by the Internal Affairs Minister on Zaake’s arrest and alleged torture  to next week.