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Tortured author Kakwenza arrives in Germany

Noelyn Nassuuna | February 23, 2022

By AFP

Award-winning Ugandan author who fled the country after being charged with insulting President Yoweri Museveni and his son has arrived in Germany to seek medical treatment after being “tortured” in jail, his lawyer said Wednesday.

“He arrived in Germany this morning,” Eron Kiiza, the lawyer for Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, told AFP, describing the news as “a big relief”.

The novelist was detained shortly after Christmas and later charged with “offensive communication” in a case that has raised international concern.

The European Union was among those calling for a “comprehensive investigation” into rights abuses in Uganda.

Rukirabashaija, 33, slipped out of Uganda two weeks ago after a court denied his application to have his passport returned — ahead of a criminal trial that was due to begin today.

He said he was tortured in custody and appeared on television earlier this month to reveal painful-looking welts criss-crossing his back and scars on other parts of his body.

Rukirabashaija, who was released on bail last month, fled Uganda by walking into neighbouring Rwanda across the hilly border and then travelled to a third country.

Following that, the UN Refugee Agency facilitated his journey to Germany, according to Kiiza who declined to provide further details.

The charges against Rukirabashaija relate to unflattering comments on Twitter about Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, and his powerful son Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

In one post, he described Kainerugaba, a general who many Ugandans believe is positioning himself to take over from his 77-year-old father, as “obese” and a “curmudgeon”.

– ‘Intolerable’ –

Rights campaigners have called for an investigation into his claims of torture and urged the authorities to drop all charges against him.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna