National Unity Platform (NUP) Spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi has put government on spot to account for the whereabouts of controversial blogger Fred Lumbuye.
Lumbuye was allegedly arrested last Wednesday in Turkey.
Following the development, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem, confirmed to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offices in Kampala last Friday that the plane transporting Lumbuye was expected to land the following day at Entebbe International Airport before he is charged with promoting sectarianism and instigating violence.
However, despite the Minister’s confirmation about Lumbuye’s deportation, the blogger is yet to be seen in Uganda.
Now Ssenyonyi says since Uganda government officials were aware of Lumbuye’s trip back to the East African country and said they would hold him for questioning on return, they should account for his whereabouts.
“Three days ago, Foreign Affairs State Minister Henry Okello Oryem at a press conference said that political activist Fred Lumbuye was on a flight to Uganda having been deported by Turkey, and that on arrival, Uganda police would hold him and produce him in court to answer certain charges which charges he didn’t mention. It’s been three days since Fred was expected in the country but he hasn’t surfaced anywhere. Now that Uganda government officials were aware of the trip and said they would hold him for questioning on return, they should account for his whereabouts,” Ssenyonyi who is also the Nakawa West legislator said in a Facebook post on Monday.
He also explained why NUP leaders and supporters have been speaking out loud demanding for Lumbuye’s freedom.
” Some people have wondered why our leaders and supporters have spoken out loudly about Lumbuye. As NUP, we’re duty bound to speak out whenever anyone’s rights are violated. We even demanded that the rights of Sipapa be respected when he was arrested and detained incommunicado for days, even when last year he fired bullets at the gate of NUP offices in Kamwokya and injured one of our guards.We shall not tire until the rights of all Ugandans are respected.”
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