The Uganda Human Rights Commission, the body mandated to defend the rights of citizens has come out to condemn the mysterious death of foreigners in Uganda as well as the rampant incidents of lawlessness, crime and the acts of thuggery.
The commission is concerned about the mysterious deaths of foreigners, which were reported in Kampala and Northern Uganda in the recent past.
The body of Andreas Nordlander, a Swedish national was found in Sheraton Hotel Kampala while Tuomas Petteri Terasvuori, a Finnish national was found dead in Pearl of Africa Hotel also in Kampala. Whereas preliminary findings released by the police last Tuesday indicated that their deaths were likely to have resulted from an overdose of narcotic drugs, the commission has called on security agencies to expedite the investigations and issue a comprehensive report to the public and for the benefit of the concerned countries.
At the press briefing held at its offices, Stephen Basaliza, the acting chairman of the commission said their attention has also been drawn to cases of unexplained deaths in Gulu District.
“Police recovered the body of an unidentified man killed early this month in Forest Ward in Laroo Division. The body of a barber was found in Gulu Gala Trading Centre on February 16. Also, the body of an unidentified man was recovered on February 19, a few days after two bodies of a couple had been recovered from their house in Pabbo Parish, Layibi Division,” Basaliza said.
Another incident, Basaliza said happened in Kawempe last week, when two policemen were killed and their guns grabbed by unknown assailants.
“The Commission therefore strongly condemns these violent acts against police officers and is concerned about the implications of the illegal guns in the hands of thugs. We therefore call on the Uganda Police Force which is constitutionally mandated to secure the lives and property of all Ugandans to strengthen its capacity to deal decisively with such lawlessness and criminality,” Basaliza said.
