{UAH} GRACE AKULLO GRILLED IN COURT
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11:22 AM |
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The director of CID Grace Akullo has been grilled at the high court, during the case hearing in which 11 women from the FDC women league sued several police officers for a manner in which they were handled while quelling in one of their protests in 2011.She failed to cite a constitutional provision which mandates police to barr a peaceful demonstration.
The director of CID Grace Akullo who appeared as the 3rd accused police officer testified before the high court civil division presided over by Justice Benjamin Kabiito and said that what the police did was to disrupt the unlawful activities of the FDC women league, who were going to disrupt the activities and preparations of the Electoral commission.
Grace Akullo added that as police, their work is to protect law and order and because they had detected crime from these women, they had to prevent it in time. She rather clarified that no police officer among the five summoned used pepper spray on the demonstrators.
During cross examination by the plaintiff's lawyer, Mbabazi Muhammed, she was asked to cite the provision in the constitution which guided her and the police officers to burr a peaceful demonstration since the demonstrators had earlier written to police, putting it to her that she acted against the constitution.
On her evidence that they encountered the women while still standing at the Buganda road court, the sitting judge asked whether it was a crime and illegal, she answered that they detected that these women were going to cause a crime.
Earlier in court, police surgeon Moses Byaruhanga testified to court that pepper spray or tear gas doesn't cause any severe damage though the plaintiff's had earlier testified that they had got severe chest pains and cough from the incident.
The case arose from an incident three years ago in which police dispersed and arrested a group of opposition [FDC] women. The officers were led by commander of Kampala extra region Grace Turyagumanawe who is now director of operations in the police.
Earlier that day, the group had stormed the Electoral Commission headquarters to deliver a petition outlining a number of areas where they felt the commission was failing the country. Police intercepted the group near the commission headquarters on Jinja road and a scuffle ensued, where some of them were violently arrested.
Hearing of this case which failed for quite a lot of time for failure of the five accused police officers to appear in court but finally kicked off yesterday, the court is now waiting to hear two police officers including police spokes person, Judith Nabakooba.
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