Today, Monday February 19th, the 28 NUP supporters have been presented in the military court martial for a hearing on their bail application. These first appeared in court on June 8, 2021, when they were secretly produced to court and charged with the illegal possession of “explosives and firearms.” Since then, their legal team has applied for the release on bail of these suspects numerous times, but unfortunately, all efforts have been failed by the General Court Martial.
Again today, this has been the case. The military court has denied them bail and remanded them to prison until March 19, 2024, when the state will object to their bail application.
According to the statement issued by NUP leadership on X platform, these suspects continue to pay the price of standing up against president Museveni’s leadership during the 2021 general elections. Their predicament highlights the gross levels of impunity in our country. Injustices of this nature are the reason we keep the course of struggle, despite the setbacks and all challenges that abound.” Said NUP.
While NUP top boss Robert Kyagulany Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine posted on his X platform that. “In a related development, comrade Muwanga Martin who was abducted nearly a month ago was today morning secretly produced before the Court Martial and read charges of “unlawful possession of military body armor”.
“In the absence of his relatives and lawyers, the Court Martial remanded Muwanga to Kitalya Prison where he will meet several other prisoners of conscience.
“This development is an unsurprising contrast with recent events when the military excused an NRM Member of Parliament who appeared in public in full UPDF combat despite being a civilian. Our lawyers are already on the case to secure his freedom.” Bobi Wine wrote.
Meanwhile, Journalists have been ejected from Makindye-based General Court Martial where they had gone to cover the hearing of bail applications by these 28 detained supporters of the leading opposition party, National Unity Platform.
On Monday this morning. Court martial chaired by Brig Gen. Freeman Mugabe did not give any reasons for kicking out the journalists.
The suspects have been on remand on charges of unlawful possession of 13 explosive devices following their arrests in December 2020 during the 2021 presidential election campaigns.
They have had several of their bail applications dismissed before by the army court on grounds that their sureties are not substantial.
Prosecution alleges that between November 2020 and May 12, 2021, in diverse areas of Jinja, Mbale, Kireka, Nakulabye, Kawempe, Nateete and Kampala Central, the accused were found in possession of 13 pieces of explosive devices which are ordinarily a monopoly of the defence forces. They were in April last year slapped with additional charges of treachery.
