Sarah Scheenstra & Faridah Kulabako
28 June 2009
Kampala — A Bill on the prevention and prohibition of torture in Uganda will soon be tabled before Parliament, human rights activists said on Friday.
In the celebrations marking the United Nations International Day in Support of Torture Victims, activists marched from Kololo airstrip to Railway Grounds in Kampala holding banners condemning torture.
In keeping with the theme of the day, "Justice for Torture Victims," the activists, who included the African Centre for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and the Uganda Human Rights Commission, expressed the urgent need for a law that will clearly defines and criminalises the act in country.
Although Article 24 of the 1995 Ugandan Constitution states that no person shall be exposed to torture, it does not make it a criminal offence.
The Bill points to this defect in the existing law and seeks to make it criminal with punitive, deterrent and effective penalties.
According to the Bill drafted by the Uganda Human Rights Commission, torture is defined as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person by any person acting as an official.
Speaking during the celebrations, Uganda Human Rights Chairman Med Kaggwa, said that there was need for everyone to be answerable for their acts irrespective of their positions.
Mr Kaggwa also stated that there is need for transparency in security organisations and that the new Bill will provide the solution. "The draft Bill is, in my humble opinion, the answer," he said.
Ms Aliyo Naaturinda, the assistant superintendent of prisons, said that currently, there are 28,000 prisoners and 22 units countrywide, with 46 per cent of prisoners already convicted and 56 per cent still awaiting trial.
She condemned illegal detention and the lengthy time that is often taken before court. "It is important to note that being a prisoner does not make one less human," she said.
The drafted bill states that it will guarantee the respect of human dignity and protection from inhuman treatment by prohibiting any form of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
FDC Secretary General, Ms Alice Alaso, voiced concerns as to whether the Bill, if passed into law, will be fairly implemented. She added that the day's event is an important step in the fight against torture.
"It is an admission on our part that torture is a problem and we are waking up to address it," she said. If passed into law, the Bill will mandate that anyone convicted of torture will be subject to life imprisonment.
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