By Ruth Anderah.
Former FDC president Dr. Kiiza Besigye has contested the ten million shillings award that the High court gave him as compensation for his violated right to humane treatment; when officers of the Uganda Police Force embarrassed him during an arrest from the stairs of an air plane at Entebbe international Airport in October 2016.
In his appeal filed before the Court of Appeal, Besigye faults justice Sekaana for wrongly ruling that his arrest and detention was justifiable as preventive arrest and that none of his freedoms to assembly and movement were violated.
Besigye adds that Justice Sekaana was also wrong to rule that his people who had gathered at Entebbe International Airport to record him would disrupt and paralyze economic activities hence whisking him away from the stairs of the plane.
On 15th March 2019, Justice Musa Ssekaana ordered Government to pay ten million shillings to Dr.Besigye after faulting police for arresting him in an undignified manner when he was grabbed by the trousers from the stairs of an air plane.
The judge however observed in his ruling that although Besigye’s arrest was effected in a rude manner , it was justified because a big number of his supporters were waiting for him to hold a procession to Kampala which would paralyze economic activities on the Entebbe Highway
At this note, justice Sekaana rejected the 300 million shillings claim for Besigye as compensation for his violated freedoms and instead awarded him with ten million shillings to atone for the embarrassment he was subjected to during the arrest.
Besigye sued the Civil Aviation Authority accusing it of failing to protect his freedoms and rights since he was grabbed on the stairs of Kenya Airways that had just landed at Entebbe Airport.
