By Charles Katabalwa
The former Tabliq leader Sheikh Yunus Kamoga and 13 others who are facing Terrorism, Murder and Attempted Murder charges appeared at the International Crimes Division Court sitting at High Court in Kampala on Tuesday April 25th, for their defense amidst tight security with Military Police taking over the duties of the ordinary police.
Anti-terrorism police was visible with high power riffles patrolling the court premises while the military police managed the entrances and scrutiny of any entrant.
Only those with proper identification and satisfactory explanation as to why they were going to court were allowed access.
Relatives of the accused persons were allowed and given a special room where they monitored the proceedings on large screens.
During the session, the accused persons chose the silence defense, and were remanded back to Prison until 26th May when they will return to court for both prosecution and defense.
Meanwhile, Makerere University Researcher Dr Stella Nyanzi was also sent back to Luzira by Buganda Road Magistrate Court James Eremye pending an application for the revision of her case filed in the high court by her lawyers.
Lawyer Nicholas Opiyo asked for an adjournment of the case pending determination of their application seeking to block a planned psychiatric examination against Dr Stella Nyanzi. The mental examinations were sought by the state during Nyanzi’s maiden appearance before the magistrate’s court early this month.
Nyanzi is charged with two counts of cyber harassment and offensive communication contrary to provisions of the Computer Misuse Act. Nyanzi was also charged with using the internet to disturb the peace and right to privacy of the president.
Prosecution alleges that Stella Nyanzi used her social media pages to refer to President Yoweri Museveni as “a pair of buttocks.” She denied the charges but told court that she always writes ‘metaphorically’ to deliver messages to ‘those in power’.
In reference to her vulgar and erotic posts, prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya filed an application on April 10, asking the High court to order that Nyanzi is subjected to a psychiatric examination but her lawyers rushed to the same Court to challenge the request saying that the state wants to use the mental test to declare Nyanzi an idiot and send her to a mental health facility.
However, High Court set Wednesday April 26th 2017 as the hearing date for the application.
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