Bobi Wine refutes torture claims by 'victim' paraded at Mbuya barracks.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine has refuted claims that members of his party staged an abduction and torture of one of their supporters, Eric Mwesigwa who was yesterday paraded before journalists at Mbuya army headquarters in Kampala.

 Last month, Mr Mwesigwa was in the media claiming security personnel had abducted him and burnt his chest with a hot flat iron.

This was after he was paraded by Mr Kyagulanyi before journalists at the party headquarters in Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb. He also petitioned the Uganda Human Rights commission (UHRC) seeking justice and compensation.

In a surprise turn of events, Mwesigwa, flanked by the UPDF spokesperson, Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye at the army headquarters in Mbuya yesterday retracted his story and accused NUP officials of luring him into tarnishing the government’s image.

“The NUP members promised me a fee of Shs50 million and a trip to the USA. They told me, do what they are telling you. But I can assure you that even where I was residing, they refused to pay the rent,” he said.

However, Mr Kyagulanyi has described the claims as shameless, scandalous and an amateurish attempt by the UPDF to allegedly “spin the unfortunate torture of a citizen by the army, which confirms that indeed the torture meted out on Mwesigwa and others like him is sanctioned by the UPDF and other security agencies.” 

 Below is Bobi Wine’s full statement; 

My attention has been drawn to a ridiculous video involving the UPDF spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye and one of the latest victims of torture Mwesigwa Eric! 

In the scandalous video, the victim accompanied by Kulayigye while at Mbuya Army Barracks claims that the torture wounds he bears were not inflicted on him by UPDF but rather by NUP!!! Can you imagine?! 

This same person in his complaint to Uganda Human Rights Commission is on record saying he was abducted by armed security personnel and gravely tortured. He also made a report at Kabalagala Police and stated that since he returned from the torture chambers, unknown people had been following him. 

I wish to state that this is an amateurish attempt by the UPDF to spin the unfortunate torture of a citizen by the army, which confirms that indeed the torture meted out on Mwesigwa and others like him is sanctioned by the UPDF and other security agencies. 

I am sure nobody in Uganda can fall for this nonsense. They know so well has Museveni's regime of blood came through violence and deception, and continues to hold onto power using the same tools. 

This is their standard behaviour! When Yasin Kawuma was shot dead in Arua, the UPDF claimed that the murder was carried out by our group. To date they have never arrested or prosecuted anybody. The country is also aware of the contradictory statements that former President of NUP Mzee Kibalama made in court after meeting the Chief of Defense Forces.

Recently when they abducted and raped comrade Marinos, they quickly called a press conference and downplayed the heinous crimes. They did the same for Kakwenza [Rukirabashaija], Masereka, etc. The examples are endless. 

There are some comrades who they tried to conscript into these kinds of games after torturing them, and when they refused, they threatened to kill them. Many of them are in exile! 

The shameless, criminal regime at it again! Same old tricks. Same ridiculousness. Mwesigwa Eric has been complaining of being trailed ever since he spoke about his torture. Today, from an army barracks, they parade him to claim it's NUP that tortured him! What a bunch of thugs! pic.twitter.com/4HTzkPhSYP

— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) March 1, 2023

We have also noted the empty claims that NUP abducts its own supporters using drones. Fortunately, vigilant Ugandans have always recorded videos of most of these abductions involving armed security men and everytime there have been such incidents, majority of the victims have been arraigned in court after building pressure through applications to court by our lawyers and the public. Examples are many- Katto Hussein Gaza, Motiv Kasaga,  Bobi Young, Jamushid Kavuma,  among many others. Only yesterday, they abducted another man right outside Buganda Road Court. Was that NUP in action??? 

I challenge Kulayigye and his fellow conspirators to produce the CCTV footage of Mwesigwa 's abduction! 

We hope that the blatant lies by the UPDF spokesperson are motivated by embarrassment, and that moving forward, they will stop abducting and torturing citizens. 

To you all Ugandans, I want to assure you that the real reason why they would engage in these shameful, panicky gimmicks is because they fear sanctions and prosecution, which will certainly come. They would rather torture people, but do everything possible for the world not to know. Too late for them, the evidence of their crimes is available to the whole world.

Source; Daily Monitor.