KAMPALA, August 10, 2024 – Members of Parliament have asked government to use the prisoner exchange system to secure the release of Ugandans held in prisons around the world.
The legislators made the call days ago while debating the Report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the prisoner exchange programme between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC].
According to the report presented by the Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Catherine Lamwaka, President Yoweri Museveni in June 2020, pardoned 141 Congolese nationals who were detained in Ugandan prisons and ordered for their handover to DRC authorities.
This followed a November 2019 meeting between the President and his DRC counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, who took note of the arbitrary arrests and prolonged detention of nationals in prisons.
In August 2021, 54 Ugandans charged with illicit fishing on Lake Albert were released from prisons in the DRC.
Hassan Kirumira, the Katikamu South MP, said there are many Ugandans held in other countries including China and South Africa, who require the attention of the justice system.
He also said that prisoner exchanges must account for the gravity of crimes committed by the individuals being released under such programmes.
“We need to be very clear on the criteria we are using during the prisoner exchange, because we may end up giving away hardcore criminals who committed very grievous crimes in Uganda and getting back Ugandans who committed very light criminal activities in Congo,” Kirumira said.
Muwada Nkunyingi, the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to look into the matter of Ugandan prisoners detained in Cairo, Dubai and India, among countries.
“Recently, we advocated for those detained in rebel hands within Myanmar and it was the efforts of the International Organization for Migration that helped us. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has not come here to tell us what is being done to negotiate for [the release of] our people,” said Nkunyingi.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, tasked the Minister for Foreign Affairs to present an action-taken report on the securing the release of Ugandans detained in foreign prisons, within a month.
“That does not mean we have said go and bring them back home, no. But if there is any support we can give, we shall render it as Parliament,” Tayebwa said.
The Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Jacob Marksons Oboth, said there are ongoing efforts to secure the release of Ugandans held as prisoners in foreign countries.
“There is deep work that probably will need the intervention of the two committees of Defense and Internal Affairs with that of Foreign Affairs. But in Congo, it is very, very clear that some of the things are complicated. We have Ambassador Twaha Matata who is doing a lot of work there,” said the Minister.
The Committee observed that Uganda missions abroad lack legal attachés, which has denied Ugandans abroad the appropriate legal assistance and victim and humanitarian assistance, among other services.
“Legal attachés should be deployed at all missions to facilitate Ugandans in the diaspora to find easy access to legal facilities in countries where Uganda’s missions are hosted,” said Lamwaka.
She added that an extradition treaty between DRC and Uganda should be negotiated to effectively facilitate process of extradition of prisoners in the two countries.
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