By Nangayi Guyson – nangayi.guyson@alleastafrica.com
Kampala,Uganda –Twelve children belonging to one of the suspects accused of participating in the killing of Uganda’s Police spokesman Andrew Felix Kaweesi are in police detention since their father was arrested about two months ago.
The whereabouts of very young children belonging to Abdul Rashid Mbaziira, one of the 13 suspects facing murder charges in the murder case of former police spokesman Andrew Felix Kaweesi has not been known until the news broke out a few days ago that they were missing.
Uganda police is said to have picked up the children and wives of Abdul Rashid Mbaziira a few weeks ago from his home in Mukono district and threaten the wives not to look for the children but rather look for other men and produce others according to the family members.
When Ugandans became concerned, Police confirmed yesterday that the children were in police custody under the care of police.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Emilian Kayima said that “the children were taken during the search for Mbaziira because their mothers had also been arrested and the police officers felt the children would be better off in the care of police instead of staying at home without any adult supervision”
He added that “these Children will only be reunited with their mothers after police confirms that the three women are their rightful mothers” he said.
Meanwhile, human rights defenders have decried the manner in which Police officers handle suspects.
The Spokesman of Uganda’s largest political party the FDC Ibrahim Nganda questioned the manner police is handling the case of the murdered Police spokesman Andrew Felix Kaweesi.
He wondered how normal people could arrest very young children because their father killed someone.
“How can you arrest children of two years because their father killed a police officer” Nganda questioned adding that “those children may not be knowing that Kaweesi was killed even. We as the FDC, we are going to take police to court and we are going to write to parliament on the matter”
A week ago, thirteen suspects arrested in connection with the brutal killing of Uganda’s police spokesman Andrew Kaweesi and his two aides claimed they are being tortured in the detention.
While being presented in court for mention of the case, they displayed wounds and claimed police was using electricity, boiled water, and acid to torture them from the security detention facility in Nalufenya, Jinja district.
Over the years, numerous reports have implicated the police in human rights abuses, especially the torture of suspects to extract information and or confessions.
Activists are also questioning the legal status of Nalufenya as a detention facility.
The opposition also wants the Security facility that has turned Uganda’s Guantanamo bay prison be closed.
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