Incarcerated Kakwenza appointed honorary member by PEN Germany
The Germany chapter of PEN International has appointed political activist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija an “honorary member” as he battles the charges of offensive communication.
"This is to certify on behalf of the Board that Mr Kakwenza Rukirabashaija is appointed honorary member of PEN Germany for his outstanding literary work, continuously recalling the utmost importance of freedom of expression in our days," the statement said.
PEN International is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous International PEN centres in over 100 countries.
Kakwenza, who has been under detention for two weeks, faces charges of offensive communication contrary to section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
He is also accused of similar offences uttered against the Commander of the Land Forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, an offence that allegedly happened between December 26 and 28, 2021.
He was remanded to Kitalya until January 21, 2022.
In April 2020, Rukirabashaija was detained for seven days after he authored a book, the Greedy Barbarian, a satirical novel about a fictional country that tackles themes of corruption and greed
He was announced the 2021 winner of the PEN Pinter Prize for an International Writer of Courage award which goes to an author deemed to have fulfilled Harold Pinter’s aspiration to “define the real truth of our lives and our societies”.
