Govt tasked to clear compensation to torture victims

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has expressed dismay over the failure by the government to clear compensation to victims of torture. The pending compensation is now valued at 5 billion Uganda Shillings.

The Chairman of the Uganda Human Rights Commission Meddie Sozzi Kaggwa says the money keeps accumulating over the years, while some of the torture victims have passed on without accessing compensation, awarded to them upon proof of being subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment mainly by security agencies.

Kaggwa asked the government to task its finance ministry to clear the outstanding compensation awards. Some of the outstanding compensation include awards to suspects in the killing of former Police Spokesperson AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi who were awarded 200 million Shillings following confirmation of their torture while in detention at Nalufenya in Jinja.

“Ministry of finance should fast-track payment of compensation awards ordered for torture survivors by both UHRC tribunal and mainstream courts of law,” Kaggwa said.

UHRC said it was unfair for a torture victim to fail to secure a reward that is often as little as I million Shillings.

The African Centre for Rehabilitation and Treatment of Torture Victims (ACTV), registers more than 1,000 cases of torture every year, according to one of the organization’s officials, Samuel Nsubuga. He says that between 2015 and 2018, ACTV provided rehabilitation and counselling services to 4,528 torture survivors, the majority of them being men.

Kaggwa and Nsubuga called upon Uganda Police Force (UPF) and Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) to let errant security personnel be charged in mainstream courts of law as a deterrent measure as opposed to institutional administrative sanctions that may not be as effective.   “Members of the public should always report cases of torture to the UHRC offices and police stations for redress and as a deterrent to would-be perpetrators,” Kaggwa said.

The call was made during a press conference addressed ahead of the International UN Day in Support of Victims of Torture, to be commemorated on June 26, at People’s Space, Hotel Africana in Kampala.

This year’s events will focus attention on the theme: Torture is Real, Speak Out, Take Action!

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