KAMPALA, UGANDA – The recently pardoned political prisoner, Olivia Lutaaya of the National Unity Platform (NUP), has been remanded back to prison on charges of unlawful drilling at the party’s headquarters.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Lutaaya, who was among 19 prisoners pardoned by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for convictions related to “treachery and unlawful possession of ammunition,” was taken into custody on Friday in Mbarara City.
Her arrest occurred when security forces intercepted a convoy of NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, who was en route to a scheduled campaign rally in Bwizibwera, Mbarara.
Appearing before a magistrate at Kanyanya, Lutaaya was added to an existing case file that includes party deputy spokesperson Waiswa Mufumbiro, Edward Ssebuufu (alias Eddie Mutwe), Tasi Calvin (Bobi Giant), and others.
She now faces the same charges related to alleged unlawful drilling in February as her co-accused. The court remanded her until the next hearing on November 18, 2024.
NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi condemned the arrest as ‘selective justice,’ stating that while other arrested comrades were released, the attackers who he reballed ‘goons’ who attacked supporters remain at large.
“She has told us that the other comrades arrested with her were dumped at various police stations. Meanwhile, the goons who attacked our supporters continue to be free and are at large,” Ssenyonyi stated.
He contrasted Lutaaya’s detention with the freedom of individuals allegedly involved in recent attacks on NUP supporters in western Uganda, implying a bias in law enforcement.
Despite a prior presidential pardon that secured her release by the General Court Martial, Olivia Lutaaya is again in custody after a three-year remand, with her next hearing set for November.
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