By Frank Kamuntu
Mbale: The Mbale Chief Magistrate, Eremeya Mawanda has set August 18th, 2020 as the date of hearing the case of presidential aspirant Hon.Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, the National Unity Platform-NUP president against the government for blocking his radio talk show in Mbale city last week.
The respondents to the suit are the Attorney General, Inspector General of Police, Martins Okoth Ochola, Elgon Region Police Commander, Wesley Nganizi, Mbale District Police Commander, Fred Ahimbisibwe, Mbale Resident Commissioner, Sulaiman Ogajjo Barasa.
The others are the Officer in Charge of Mbale Central Police Station, Arafat Kato and District Internal Security Officer, George Mwonda. The suite comes a few days after police blocked Kyagulanyi from appearing on a weekly political talk show on the Mbale city based BCU FM radio.
Police deployed heavily to block Kyagulanyi and his team from accessing BCU FM premises along Naboa road on Saturday morning leading to running battles with People Power activists. Now, through his lawyers of Wameli & Co. Advocates, Kyagulanyi says the actions of the respondents, their agents and those who acted under them are not acceptable or demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society.
Kyagulanyi later took it to his social media platform and posted;
“Yesterday, we filed a suit against the Attorney General, the Inspector General of Police, Mbale District RDC, the DPC of Mbale, the DISO as well as the OC station, Mbale Central Police Station. We want them to explain why we were blocked from appearing on Mbale BCU FM Radio last weekend.
We are going for the government as well as individual officers who are involved in actions of impunity against our people. Like we have consistently said, we shall use all avenues, domestic and international, to push for the rights of Ugandans.
Grateful to our legal team, especially counsel Wameli Anthony, for working on this.”
He says Police infringed on his right to freedom of the press and other media contrary to Article 29(1a), 43(2a) of the 1995 constitution. Kyagulanyi also contends that the respondents violated his right to equality and freedom from discrimination contrary to article 21(1a) and 43(2a and c) of the constitution.
He wants the respondents to personally compensate him for the violation of his rights, pay punitive damages for their high handedness and fragrant breach of the law and all be personally liable for their action.
“It is in the interest of the of protection of human rights and the rule of law that an order of a permanent injunction does issues restraining the respondents, their agents or persons acting under them from further blocking me from accessing and/or speaking on any radio station in Mbale or elsewhere,” reads the application.
Wameli told journalists shortly after filing the application at Mbale High court that they want court to hold all those who blocked Kyagulanyi’s radio talk show personally liable for their action.
