Uganda lawyers protest over political violence
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP & staff) — Some 300 lawyers gathered in Uganda’s capital on Wednesday to protest the arrest of the country’s top opposition leader and a crackdown on demonstrations, chanting: “We want a change in the regime.”
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for a quarter-century, has vowed repeatedly that his government will not be taken down by protests. U.N. officials have said demonstrations over the last three weeks in Uganda have left eight people dead and wounded more than 250 others.
On Wednesday, lawyers gathered outside the high court in Uganda’s capital and demanded the resignation of security officials involved in opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s arrest last week.
“In the past three weeks there have been events showing that as a country we are not still under rule of law,” said group member Bruce Kyerere. “We are appalled by recent police high-handedness while arresting protesters, which has caused injury in civilians and loss of lives.”
Kyerere also said Ugandan journalists were being directed not to air protests live on air so as to cover up atrocities made by police while arresting them.”
The inspector general of police, Kale Kayihura, said the lawyers were protesting in a civilized manner.
“They agreed with police on how to protest,” he said. “That is how a civilized society should live.”
The recent protests were the first serious unrest in sub-Saharan Africa since a wave of anti-government protests swept longtime leaders in Tunisia and Egypt out of power.
Besigye challenged Museveni in February elections and came in second place. He said the poll was falsified, and that both he and Museveni got just under 50 percent of the vote.
