The Bobi Wine trial is a showdown of how the Ugandan regime led by Yoweri Museveni is flaunting democracy.
On Thursday, VOA reported that Ugandan military prosecutors…withdrew weapons charges against…jailed pop star-turned-lawmaker, [Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also known as Bobi Wine], who opposes the longtime President, but he faced potentially more serious charges of treason in a civilian court.
But should Bobi Wine, a parliamentarian, face trial in the first place? According to Article 97 of the 1995 Constitution and the Parliament and Privileges Act CAP 258, members of Uganda’s parliament are immune to legal proceeding in the same right as the President of the Republic.
Bobi Wine was arrested on Monday 13 August 2018 for obstructing President Yoweri Museveni’s motorcade in an altercation that resulted in one of Museveni’s official vehicles being damaged. The incident happened during Parallel rallies in the north-western town of Arua. Daily Nation covered the story
When the incident happened the police fired live rounds to disperse the crowd, killing Bobi’s driver. Yet it is Bobi Wine who is facing trial on what many have called term “trumped-up charges” of illegal possession of firearms and treason.
It more likely that Bobi Wine faces these charges as retribution for confronting Museveni who is an unveiled dictator. Bobi wine is a civilian and not just an ordinary one as he is a parliamentarian with immunity, but was originally to be prosecuted in a military tribunal. This goes against all conventions on the protection of civil rights.
The Ugandan regime’s persecution of the young parliamentarian may sadly go on with the charges of treason. Uganda’s democracy continues to suffer as Yoweri’s dictatorship oppresses even parliamentarians.
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