Justice Esta Nambayo of the High Court Civil Division has ordered security agencies to produce a Rwandan National Benjamine Rutabana who is in detention.
The order which was issued on Wednesday evening directs the Attorney General and five others to produce Rutabana on February 19th, 2020 and explain why he has been in custody without any charges preferred against him.
Others who have been directed include the Director of Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence- CMI, Director Internal Security Organization-ISO, Inspector General of Police, Director Criminal Investigations Department -CID and the Commandant Special Investigations Bureau-SIB.
The order followed an application filed by Rutabana’s lawyers led by Dr David Mushabe who argued that Rutabana who is a French citizen of Rwandan descent has been in illegal detention since he was arrested in Kampala on September 8th, 2019.
The lawyers state that Rutabana was arrested by plain-clothed security personnel who reportedly identified themselves as ISO operatives. He was then allegedly taken to Mbuya CMI Headquarters then transferred to ISO detention before being returned to CMI.
According to the affidavit of Kenneth Munungu, one of his lawyers, the family of Rutabana wrote to the French Embassy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kuteesa on October 28, 2019, about his detention in vain.
This is the second Court order being issued in two days by Justice Nambayo directing the government to produce Rwandan Nationals.
On Monday, she ordered for the production of Emmanuel Magezi’s body and Theogen Sendegeya who were arrested in March 2019.
Magezi died at Butabika National Referral Hospital last month under unknown circumstances.
(URN)
