By Hanning Mbabazi
A Rwandan teacher claiming to have been illegally arrested and tortured by Uganda security operatives on Monday filed a case in the East African Court of Justice in Arusha, Tanzania, seeking compensation of USD1 million, about Shs3.5 billion.
Mr. Venant Hakorimana 35, filed the case in Arusha through his lawyer, Mr Richard Mugisha under reference Number 11 of 2019 of EACJ’s first instance division saying that he was arrested a day after arriving in Kampala in July last year and detained for ten months. During his detention in a Ugandan prison, he was allegedly tortured by security operatives. “I was working in Ethiopia as a teacher for Applied Biology. I was detained in Uganda in July last year where I had gone to visit and check on my property in Mbarara District,” Mr. Hakorimana said. “Sometimes using electricity to torture me.”
After nine months of incarceration, in March this year, he was finally produced in a Ugandan court, where he was found guilty of illegal entry and sentenced to 12 months in prison or pay a fine of Shs1 million (about $266). After him paying the fine, he was deported. This comes after other two Rwandan nationals sued Uganda over wrongful incarceration and Mr Hakorimana becomes the third Rwandan. Mr Ezekiel Muhawenimana and his wife, Ms. Esperance Dusabimana were charged in a Ugandan court and sentenced to a year in prison for illegal entry via the Cyanika border last August. They served nine months before being deported and are seeking compensation of $100,000 (Shs3.7 billion) from the Uganda government. They are also represented by Mr. Mugisha. Rwanda last week opened Gatuna temporarily for two weeks to test the readiness of the one-stop-border post which has been under construction since last year.
However, goods from Uganda continue to face restriction at the border and many popular Ugandan made products are missing in Rwanda markets. Rwanda accuses Uganda of supporting rebels while Uganda counters that the Rwandans who were arrested were on espionage missions sponsored by Rwanda. Since February Uganda has not allowed Rwanda travellers to cross over after Kigali issued a travel advisory that its citizens risked arrest and torture in Kampala. The East Africa Community, the common market to which the two belong, has been studiously quiet on the altercations even as evidence comes through that it is hurting other member countries.
