Uganda: Judiciary Accused of Rights Abuse
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New Vision (Kampala)
17 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Conan Businge
Kampala
The delayed trial of suspects in the High Court and the General Court Martial is a growing human rights abuse by the Judiciary, according to a report.
The report by the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative for 2007, released on Tuesday, said 4,700 capital suspects were waiting for trial since February, 2006.
It added that half of these were being held on defilement charges and 375 were reported to have spent more than four years in prison. The report noted that in 2007, the situation had not changed much.
"It had been hoped that the amendments to the Magistrates' Courts Act would reduce the backlog.
"This did not happen because in 2007, the increase in the workload of the magistrates' courts was not supported by a corresponding budget support."
The amendment provided for the trial of defilement cases by the magistrates' courts, previously triable only in the High Court.
"The right to a fair hearing remained severely curtailed for thousands of Ugandans who languished in prison throughout the year; on remand awaiting trial by the High Court," said the report.
"Inmates spend five years on remand after committal and as long as 17 years awaiting the hearing of appeals on capital sentences by the Court Martial."
Relevant Links
The law provides that a suspect should spend a maximum of three years on remand for capital offences like murder.
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