By Mulengera Reporters
Mariam Fauziah Wangadya, the Chairperson of Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), says that mere cutting off of Eddie Mutwe aka Edward Ssebuwufu’s long/thick beard to force him have a clean shaven face, is a clear violation of his human rights as a person, which he doesn’t have to do much to prove before her tribunal.
In a Wednesday interview with Mulengera News crew at her Lumumba Avenue offices, Wangadya referred to Article 24 of the Constitution which prohibits such dehumanizing and degrading treatment. The forceful cutting off of the beard subjected Eddie Mutwe to conditions that diminished his dignity as a human being and this is expressly prohibited under the Constitution. Follow this link to the full video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDM7G1xwk6w.
Wangadya elaborated that even if no physical harm, such as beatings or even confinement beyond the mandatory 48 hours, had been done to Eddie Mutwe, that unconsented shaving of his head and face (which Gen MK bragged about in his tweets) would be sufficient for the victim’s lawyers to prove human rights violations which the Commission is mandated to atone by awarding him lots of money in damages.
During the interview, Wangadya was also asked why the UHRC intervened in such a conspicuous way, which is almost unprecedented. And in her response, the UHRC boss explained that the CDF Gen MK’s decision to come out openly and owning up to having Eddie Mutwe in his basement, emboldened the UHRC to intervene swiftly.
That MK’s move made it easy for the Commission to know who to direct or address their prompt release order to, unlike in most of missing persons’ cases where every security agency denies responsibility and thereby making it hard for the UHRC to know who to target while mounting pressure for the missing person’s release or production before a competent court of law. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
