By Spy Uganda
Authorities have remanded a writer Norman Tumuhimbise and journalist Bikobere Farridah for “offensive communication” against President Yoweri Museveni in a book titled “The Komanyoko Politics Of Uganda, Unsowing The Mustard Seed, Liars & Accomplices”.
A joint task force led by the Ugandan Army arrested the two men alongside seven other journalists last Thursday at the Digitalk offices.
Although most of the journalists were released on bond, they were charged with offensive communication against Mr Museveni.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Turyamusima, the legal counsel of Tumuhimbise and Faridah who appeared in court on Wednesday said his clients looked tortured.
“And the two charges, one is offensive communication and cyber stalking of the person of the president. They both pleaded not guilty, though they looked tortured,” said the lawyer.
Many rights activists accuse Museveni for prosecuting critics of his regime. In January, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged to court for calling the president “obese” and a “curmudgeon” on his Twitter page.
He had been accused of using “his Twitter handle to disturb the peace” of the president and his son.
Following vicious torture at the military facility he was being held, Mr Rukirabashaija fled to save his life when the opportunity presented itself. He fled using the Rwandan land border to escape the Uganda’s oppression.
“Conditions had become impossible for him, they kept surveiling him. They took away his passport. He had no option but to go and save his life,” his lawyer, Eron Kiiza said.
