{UAH}

Fellow UAH,

As I was reading through the report, my attention was captured by the statement made by the Amnesty International, "a backward step in the fight against impunity and betrayal of victims of serious violations of human rights." To this, I asked,'Really?'

'How many violations of that nature has Amnesty International reported outside the so-called "Third World", or how many victims of such violations in this part of the world has the Amnesty International reported, or helped out of such violations?'

I noticed a sort of inquisitive statements directed to me by some forumists, although none tried to answer any of my questions. There is a saying that, "It is the wearer who knows best where the shoe pinches." In this case, I am the wearer of the shoe and I know best where it pinches.

Fellow Ugandans At Heart, this topic of discussion, not only is it uneasy to discuss fully, it also requires tremendous courage. This reminds me of another saying, "If you live in a glasshouse, donot throw stones." Needless to remind you all that I still live in a "glasshouse" and therefore cannot afford to 'throw stones'.

Those who have been long enough with the UAH might remember a story about me which was published online by Henry Gombya. Unfortunately, although Dr. Henry Gombya had the evidential documents to guide him and a recorded interview at his disposal, he decided to distort the story.

Before publishing the story, Henry Gombya called me from London to inform me that he was going to the Royal Embassy of Denmark to hear their side of the matter.

When Dr. Gombya was writing the story for publication, he kept calling me and asking me the questions for which answers were in the documents he was supposed to possess. When I eventually saw the distorted story online I was disappointed. However, I immediately suspected that he was either threatened by the Danish authorities if he published the story, or he was given some money so that he surrendered the evidential documents of the violations by the State of Denmark.

Prior to the meeting with Dr. Henry Gombya I had discussed the matter with Lt. Colonel Samson Mande. Colonel Mande is a member of the Human Rights Activists in Scandinavia. Explaining the situation to him, he advised me to give him some evidential documents with which he would discuss the matter with Lawyers in Sweden. I made it clear to him and everyone else that I did not and still donot intend to open a case against Denmark in any Court of Law.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee had communicated to the State of Denmark of their violations and also had informed the State to observe remedy and to make sure that such mistakes will not occur again in the future. Denmark appealed the decision of the UNHRC, but the UNHRC responded that, There was no legal basis to review their decision.

I was kept in prison for over three months without knowing what I was being charged with. At the time, I was the Coordinator for the Umbrella Organisation of the National Organisations of the continent of Africa, Pan African Forum and also President of the Union of Ugandans in Denmark.

While in prison I smuggled a letter to the New African Publications in London. You may search for the letter online. The letter was published in the edition of February, 2002. The subject, or tittle of the letter is: Save Our Souls.

Briefly, I was released from prison after the intervention of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The Lawyer whom I obtained by smuggling a letter to him forwarded the case to the UN because he was also denied the knowledge of why I was imprisoned. The file for the defence had been taken by the police to be destroyed as soon as they learnt that I had obtained a Lawyer. 

What began as a threat to me so that I could help the police, ended up as a serious matter so that even releasing me became impossible. The police had to create a story with which to convict me. My case is like a fiction meant to read as a pass time, but unfortunately it is authentic. The UNHRC intervened and I was released after spending 2 years and 7 months behind bars.

All my efforts with discussions with Amnesty International were, honestly, useless. The story on this subject would be long and I have no time at the moment.

I know that we have serious violations of human rights in African countries, but most of what we all know is through the news media, or photographs taken by citizens and posting them to the internet. We also see demonstrations and the police having a hard time to control the demonstraters. I mean, in the so-called "Third World" very little is secret. Elsewhere, in the countries we all seem to wish to emulate, you'll never know what goes on behind the walls of the police, or prison cells untill you find yourself there.

A fellow Ugandan At Heart was praising the prison system in Sweden, stating that "the prisoners have TV sets in their cells"! Now, this is a person who has never been inside those walls and certainly does not know, or even think of how and why those people happen to be in those cells. "All that glitters is not gold."

The African Heads of State and Government convened in Arusha, Tanzania to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe and in particular, the Presidency of H.E Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The journalists were kept outside. At the end of the meeting, even those who were opposed to the rule of President Mugabe had changed their views. So, what is it that changed everyones mind into supporting President Mugabe?

The question of the 'African leaders vote to give themselves immunity from war crimes' should not shock us before we know what exactly they discussed and led them into signing the 'Immunity' in question.

                                                                              Byaruhanga Jonny Rubin.