Lumbuye should be tried in Turkey and not Uganda, says Rubongoya

The NUP Secretary-General, David Lewis Rubongoya has revealed that the famous blogger and government critic, Fred Lumbuye who has been arrested should be charged in Turkey and not brought back to Uganda if he has committed any crime.

While posting on his twitter account, Rubongoya says that many people who have been speaking against the NRM government have been tortured and therefore, if Lumbuye is brought back to Uganda, he will also be tortured.

“In short, we are saying that if Lumbuye has committed any offences under Turkish laws, he should be tried in Turkey and not handed over to a regime which has made a name for violating the rights and freedoms of those it lays its hands-on,” he said.

He adds that trying Lumbuye in Uganda will threaten other government critics in the diaspora.

“All we are saying is that if Fred Lumbuye is handed over to the regime in Kampala, that will send shock and fear within Ugandan dissidents and political activists everywhere in the world,” he added.

Lumbuye was arrested in Turkey yesterday. He is a critic who uses his social media accounts to attack and criticise government officials in Uganda.  Some of his statements are termed by Ugandan security officials as crimes against the state.

Foreign Affairs State Minister Oryem Okello said Lumbuye isn’t a special person and therefore he isn’t above the law.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna