By Christine Nakyeyune
The European Union Delegation in Uganda has called for the immediate release of novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija following his re-arrest yesterday.
According to Eron Kiiza, the lawyer representing him, Kakwenza was yesterday kidnapped by unknown people, just hours after being granted bail by Buganda Road Magistrates Court where he is battling charges of offensive communication.
The prisons spokesperson Frank Baine also confirmed that they had officially released Kakweza from Kitalya prison and did not know his whereabouts.
Now the EU delegation has this morning issued a joint statement together with the diplomatic missions of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway in Uganda regarding the same.
In the statement issued through the press and information section, the group expresses serious concern at reports that Kakwenza has been taken against his will by armed men and is again being held in an unknown place of detention.
They say that if confirmed, such an action is a clear disrespect to the rule of law and the right of a Ugandan citizen to a fair trial.
The EU delegation also appeals to all parties concerned to ensure that the rule of law and due process are upheld in this and all cases in Uganda.
Kakwenza is charged with two counts of “offensive communication” after reportedly making unflattering remarks about the president and his son Lt. General Muhoozi Kaneirugaba on Twitter.
