Kaweesi murder: Court orders government to pay Shs 1. 7 billion to tortured suspects

The High Court has ordered government to pay shs80 million to each of the 22 Andrew Kaweesi murder suspects who were detained and tortured in Nalufenya prison.

The order was made by Justice Margaret Oumo Oguli.

Oguli warned government that a 20% interest rate would accrue from the day of her ruling to the date of payment.

Police spokesperson, AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi was shot dead together with his bodyguard and driver in March as he left his home in Kulambiro.

The 22 suspects through their lawyers led by Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi sued government for torture and inhumane treatment by police and the UPDF during their arrest early this year.

Oguli said evidence had indicated that the suspects had undergone various forms of torture that caused injuries to their bodies.

"They were arrested when they were well but now have various physical challenges," Oguli said in her ruling.

The no nonsense judge blasted police and the military for abrogating their cardinal role of protecting the suspects. She said they had instead turned into tormentors by torturing and inflicting wounds on suspects all in the name of forcing them to admit the crime.

"These people were mere suspects and presumed innocent. There was no need for torturing them."

In their evidence to court, the suspects claimed that they underwent various forms of torture including systematic beating, electric shocks and submersion into water.

The suspects also told court that they were inserted with objects in their rectus on top of being blindfolded while in detention especially at Nalufenya.

The judge in her ruling condemned these inhumane acts that she said could not be tolerated in any society.

On the violent arrest of the suspects by police and the military, the judge was in agreement with the evidence of the suspects adding that the state failed to address itself in relation to the matter.

Oguli based her ruling on the submission of detective Johnson Olal who led the investigations into the Kaweesi murder whom she quoted as having admitted to using 'some reasonable' force during the arrest.

She also blasted prisons authorities for stopping the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture (ACTV) that had been assigned to examine and present reports to court of the condition of three of the 22 suspects while in Luzira.

"It was a contempt of court orders and indicated they had something to hide,"she said.

Compensation

The High Court judge said torturing a suspect could not be tolerated and ordered government to compensate each of the twenty two suspects with eighty million shillings .

On the request to have them released, the judge said she couldn't allow this because they still have to answer for the murder charges labelled against them.