The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Crimes Division of High Court has set January 11th, 2019 to confirm the charges against Jamil Mukulu, the jailed Commander of the rebel Allied Democratic Forces.
Mukulu and 37 others are currently facing several charges related to crimes against humanity, war crimes and terrorism among others. The pretrial Judge Eva Luswata closed the first stage of conferencing on Thursday morning after both parties told court that there has been full disclosure of statements and exhibits to be used in the trial.
They include among others documents from the court proceedings in Tanzania, Mukulu’s passport from Tanzania and proceedings from the Jinja Chief Magistrate’s Court before he was committed. Mukulu’s defense team led by Caleb Alaka had earlier told URN that they needed the documents to ascertain whether the accused persons are facing different charges from those presented in the Tanzanian court to facilitate his extradition.
During the pretrial, the judicial officer looks at the available evidence and exhibits and determines whether or not they can sustain the trial. At this point, the suspects don’t plead to the charges since the pretrial judge lacks jurisdictions to handle the main trial.
Prosecution also alleges that Mukulu and group masterminded the killing of various Muslim clerics in Uganda between 2013 and 2015. The prosecution also alleges that Jamil Mukulu and 38 others are responsible for torching Kichwamba Technical Institute in 1998, which claimed the lives of more than 80 students.
The accused persons were picked from various places in Uganda with the exception of Mukulu, Abdallah Omar and Muhammad Matovu who were apprehended in Tanzania in 2015 and were extradited to Uganda. The suspects were arraigned before the Jinja Chief Magistrate’s court and charged with offences related to terrorism, aggravated robbery, crimes against humanity they allegedly committed in various parts of Uganda.
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