Foreign Affairs State Minister Henry Okello Oryem has said Turkey-based Ugandan vlogger and government critic, Fred Kajubi aka Lumbuye was a minute away from being returned home last year.
Last year, reports were ripe that Lumbuye was to be returned home after being allegedly arrested in Turkey and that government was planning to have him extradited to face several charges back home.
The charges included among others spreading harmful propaganda, incitement of violence and offensive communication.
Whereas government had indicated that the motormouthed vlogger was on his way back home, this never came to pass.
However, while appearing on a local radio station on Saturday morning, Minister Oryem admitted that Lumbuye’s lawyers outsmarted government.
“His lawyers were smart. He was at airport(to be returned home) and lawyers put in case of asylum seeker and refugee but he was almost here,”Oryem said.
“When the lawyers put in a case of asylum seeker and refugee, the UN Convention took over since it says you can’t deport or arrest a refugee. Therefore, we lost the chance.”
The Foreign Affairs Minister however warned that if Lumbuye continues with his attacks as he had previously done, government will not hesitate to try to have him extradited.
Lumbuye was in October last year released from jail and is currently in Turkey.
The vlogger has since resumed making videos on his social media accounts where he discusses a wide range of issues, among others critiquing government and some of its officials.
