Chaotic scenes played out today at the general court-martial after 36 NUP suspects were denied bail and sent back to the coolers at Kitalya and Kifo government prison.
Irate relatives and wives to the suspects who couldn’t accept the court’s decision to dismiss bail for the suspects started making noise, protesting the move.
The women who started screaming on top of their voices and cursing were sooner than later grabbed by no-nonsense cops and soldiers who heartlessly clobbered them, chasing them out of the premises.
The running battles between the security forces lasted several minutes with some relatives collapsing to the ground while others were cordoned off in the hallways after failing to escape.
Wives and relatives to the jailed NUP supporters couldn’t hold back their tears as the reality of their people being locked away even longer donned on them.
Besides the beatings it was a somber mood at court as women were seen crying their eyes out as if they had lost their loved ones, it seemed like a funeral ground.
Meanwhile, their lawyers led by George Musisi say the court has acted unjustly and unlawfully by only granting bail to only 13 of the 49 suspects.
Musisi says the army court-martial has failed to give a substantive reason as to why the 36 NUP supporters have been denied bail.
He however says their next course of action is to apply for bail at the high court because it has the original jurisdictions to try civilians.
Eddy Mutwe nga bamutuusa ku kkooti
Lt Gen Andrew Gutti, the chairperson of the Court-martial only granted bail to those that needed medical attention after they fulfilled all the requirements and presented sureties under tight conditions.
He denied the 36 bail because the group risks inciting violence if set free.
The prosecution alleges that all the 49 suspects and others still at large on January 3, at Makerere Kavule Kigundu zone, were found in possession of four rounds of ammunition which is a monopoly of the Defense Forces.
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