At present marked 46 years because the nation witnessed the brutal killing of some of the influential and virtuous clergymen; the previous Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Janani Jakaliya Luwum.

Bishop Luwum was killed for being too vocal in opposition to the extrajudicial killings and torture by Idi Amin Dada’s authorities. Earlier than his dying, Archbishop Luwum suffered intensive torture and his physique had a number of bullet wounds, together with one by his mouth.

He was a frontrunner who by no means needed to see his individuals and Ugandans undergo by the hands of the brutal management of Amin. Due to this, he made it his position to criticize the evil dedicated by the then authorities. By doing so, he additionally preached peace, love and reconciliation.

Even upon his final and making an attempt second, he didn’t hand over on his combat for freedom, one would say he traded his life for Ugandans to have peace and freedom.

Sadly, years after his dying,  issues usually are not so completely different which is why his dying is barely talked about or resonates within the minds of leaders on sixteenth February for celebrations solely, nevertheless it has not acted as a reminder to the leaders that Ugandans deserve freedom and extrajudicial killings should cease due sacrifices of lives made by individuals like Luwum.

Since his homicide, Uganda has had the very best ranges of extrajudicial killings, torture and cold-blood murders, Since Gen Amin, Uganda has had 6 presidents who’ve sooner or later allowed torture, persecution and extrajudicial killings to happen below their watch as a manner of controlling the nation and sustaining their grip to energy.

Torture and homicide have at all times featured in Uganda’s political historical past because the downfall of Amin, there are lots of studies pinning how former president Dr Milton Obote and his males killed and tortured Ugandans.

Extrajudicial killings and torture are among the many key the explanation why President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni launched a guerrilla warfare in 1981. That’s the reason 4 months after seizing energy in 1986, President Museveni’s Nationwide Resistance Military (NRA) authorities established a Fee of Inquiry to look into the cycle of violence the nation has suffered because the post-colonial period.

This seemed like a brand new reformed journey of peace that Uganda was but to see.

The Fee’s closing report whose title was Pearl of Blood that was delivered in October 1994 confirmed detailed indisposed accounts instructed by survivors or their households by a number of the actors within the armies of presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin armies 1962 to 1970, 1971 to 1979, and 1980 to July 1985, respectively.

In keeping with the report, the precise variety of Ugandans that had misplaced their lives by the hands of presidency brokers and companies since independence was unattainable to determine. The homicide of people, mass murders, and arbitrary deprivation of life or extrajudicial executions is a violation of the fitting to life, some of the basic rights and freedoms of a person.

On receiving the report President Museveni who had simply been in energy for 8 years promised to steer Ugandans to the Canan land the place they are going to see no extra torture or extrajudicial killing and abductions and murders.

Nevertheless, as a saying goes Energy is at all times harmful as a result of it attracts the worst and corrupts the very best. The identical incidents that occurred to Luwum have been seen repeating themselves in President Museveni’s authorities.

For the previous two years, the nation has witnessed an excessive amount of energy exhibited by the military, this brings the nostalgias of each Obote and Gen Amin’s troopers how they used their energy to abduct, torture and typically kill.

The rampant abductions of opposition supporters who’re launched later with wounds of torture depart hundreds of thousands of unanswered questions on whether or not the dying of Archbishop Luwum meant one thing to these main the Pearl of Africa.

The acts of torture and extrajudicial killings at all times paint a transparent image that individuals in energy at instances don’t concern anymore the affect of the spiritual leaders so long as they’ve the military of their pockets.

Final 12 months whereas talking on the forty fifth commemoration of the martyrdom of Archbishop Luwum, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu additionally warned that eliminating cruelty allegedly perpetrated by State operatives, and implementing accountability, would make the killing of Bishop Luwum significant.

“Bishop Luwum is remembered as a voice for the unvoiced, and in addition an advocate for human rights. As we bear in mind him, we’d like to consider defending life and human rights. I’m very upset by some individuals after I learn the newspapers; that there are nonetheless some people who find themselves torturing others. That is in opposition to what the President (Museveni) instructed Ugandans,” he stated.

Bishop Dr Kazimba additionally alluded that people who find themselves torturing others are disobeying the President of Uganda.

“I wish to pray that as we rejoice at the present time, human rights, peace and the remainder must be given precedence…, Could God assist us that the torturers usually are not accepted and if there are those that have performed improper, they need to be delivered to courts of regulation in order that the needful is completed,” he added.

Because the nation commemorates the forty sixth Bishop Luwum’s martyrdom for his combat for human rights, civilians are tried in navy court docket, abductions, lengthy detentions with out trial, corruption are nonetheless quite common in Uganda.

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