Lira men seek audience with Museveni over 2011 police torture
Torture victims (L-R), Moses Okori Wacha, Policarp Onyango and Vincent Atyam. Photos | Bill Oketch
What you need to know:
- Moses Okori Wacha, Vincent Atyam, and Policarp Onyango, all residents of Amach sub-county say no government agencies including the Uganda Human Rights Commission offered them support after they were allegedly tortured about 13 years ago.
Three men from Lira District who were allegedly tortured by police in 2011 are seeking a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni to address their unresolved issues.
Moses Okori Wacha, Vincent Atyam, and Policarp Onyango, all residents of Amach sub-county say no government agencies including the Uganda Human Rights Commission offered them support after they were allegedly tortured about 13 years ago.
"We want to share our stories with the President and seek compensation for the suffering we endured at the hands of unprofessional police personnel," said Mr Okori Wacha. "We also want the President to understand how some members of his security team have been violating Ugandans' rights with impunity."
Mr Onyango, who was beaten into a coma, still suffers from back pain and cannot perform simple tasks like carrying a jerrycan of water.
"If we followed the rightful procedures, I'm sure we would meet the President," said Mr George Abudul, the Resident District Commissioner of Apac. "The President attends to anyone with genuine issues. They can write a letter to the President through his Principal Private Secretary, and the President may decide to meet them personally or authorise his team to attend to them."
This picture taken on August 23, 2011, shows the situation Policarp Onyango was in after being released on police bond. PHOTO | COURTESY
The men hope that meeting the President will bring them closure to justice for the alleged human rights violation they suffered at the hands of the disbanded Rapid Response Unit.
Background
Mr Okori recalls that on the evening of August 19, 2021, security operatives drove in a private vehicle up to Okello’s home, fired bullets in the air and later started arresting them.
The trio were later detained at Lira Central Police Station under CRB 243/2011 reportedly on orders of Godwin Tumugumye, the former head of Lira District Criminal Investigations Department.
Their arrest followed allegations that they were behind the death of their neighbour, Ali Okello, who was later found to be alive.
Initially, the victims were taken to police barracks in the present Lira City where they sustained serious physical injuries after they were allegedly tortured.
Five days later they were released on bond after the presumed dead man appeared at Lira Central Police Station.
Okello, however, died after a long illness in 2022.
