By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) four-time presidential candidate Dr.Col. (Rtd) Kizza Besigye has Tuesday morning signed a petition to the Intentional Criminal Court (ICC) seeking the indictment of president Yoweri Museveni.
Besigye signed the petition together with several opposition politicians who gathered at the FDC offices at Katonga Road.
In his petition, Besigye seeks the ICC to not only indict Museveni but also several police and army officers who have perpetrated acts of violence upon Ugandans.
Besigye and his Peoples Government Government petitioned the International Criminal Court ICC against President Yoweri Museveni for allegedly committing crimes against humanity.
While addressing the media, Deputy President Erias Lukwago said that President Museveni in his individual capacity should answer cases related to suppression, torture and extrajudicial killings.
According to the Rome Statute, crimes against humanity include murder, extermination, enslavement, torture, enforced disappearance of persons and imprisonment among others.
Lukwago cited the brutality against members of the opposition, the attack on Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere’s palace in Kasese town which led to the death of over 100 people, the invasion of FY Parliament by the army during the age limit debate and the rampant kidnaps and murders in the country.
Lukwago said that they decided to seek redress from the ICC because of the alleged incompetence of the Directorate of Public Prosecution- DPP.
Cases at the ICC are initiated either by a state that is signatory to the Hague based court, the United Nation Security Council UNSC or the ICC prosecutor.
All petitions initiated by other than UNSC or member state of the ICC have to go through the prosecutor who determines if there is a case to pursue before forwarding the file to court seeking leave to investigate the matter. The process starts with the aggrieved party submitting a petition to the ICC with at least 1,000 signatures of people sharing the same position as the petitioner.
