The hearing of a case in which the President of Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) Dr. Olara Otunnu is charged with defaming President Museveni is scheduled for May 2nd, 2014.
Otunnu, a former United Nations under secretary, appeared before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s court on Tuesday to answer charges of defamation and ignoring police summons over the matter. According to court, grade I Magistrate Araali Muhiirwa will preside over the case. Olalra Otunnu will be represented by his lawyer Nicolas Opio.
Prosecution claims that on January 16th, 2013 while Otunnu was at the UPC party headquarters in Kampala with intent to defame Museveni made defamatory remarks against him. On the first appearance Otunnu denied the case and he was released on bail.
Prosecution claims that Otunnu said that Museveni was behind the atrocities and crimes in Luwero between 1981 and 1986 in which over 400,000 people died.
That Museveni was also in command of the massacres of Muslims in Ankole in 1979, when Museveni was commander of the Western Axis of anti-Amin forces.
Also that Museveni massacred people at Ombaci, in West Nile, in 1981; killed people in northern Uganda during the LRA rebellion between 1986 and 2006.
He allegedly pointed out that a lot of disappearances and mysterious deaths had occurred under Museveni’s watch and authority since the Front for National Salvation’s (FRONASA) struggles to date, saying they should be investigated.
This prompted the Attorney General to write to the UPC president giving him five days to make a public apology for his remarks or face legal action. Otunnu has since then refused to make any apologies for his statement.
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