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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Stella Nyanzi trial at Buganda Road Magistrates court maybe halted for some time as the High Court in Kampala called for her file.
According to the July 18th letter from the Registrar of Criminal Division of High Court Mary Ikit, Nyanzi applied for the revision of the ongoing criminal proceedings in the case before Grade one Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu.
The letter addressed to the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate states “you are directed to forward the original file with certified copies of proceedings and exhibits if any, as soon as possible.”
The latest development comes after Buganda Road Court Magistrate had closed the case pending judgment.
Kamasanyu had set August 1st 2019 to deliver her judgment in the case in which Nyanzi is charged with offensive communication and cyber harassment.
Nyanzi’s lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde couldn’t confirm or deny that they had applied for judicial review of the proceedings.
“We have no comment at this stage”, Ssemakadde told URN on phone.
However Judiciary Spokesperson Solomon Muyita has confirmed to URN saying that the letter from High Court is authentic.
“The letter is authentic. Nyanzi’s lawyers filed an application seeking a review for the ruling delivered recently by Kamasanyu”, said Muyita
In the ruling, Kamasanyu had declined to grant an order to have Nyanzi issue an advert in the media soliciting for willing witnesses to come and defend her.
Kamasanyu argued that the request was not only alien and queer in the legal practice but also misdirecting the court and perhaps to make people lose confidence in the judicial system.
Kamasanyu thus closed the trial before the defense lawyers could submitted witnesses in Nyanzi’s defense. She said Stella Nyanzi had not only chosen to sit on her own right to defend herself but also use it as a weapon to frustrate further proceedings in her own case.
Nyanzi is in court on allegations that she posted a loutish birthday poem on her Facebook page on September, 16th, 2018 attacking the late Mother of President Yoweri Museveni, Esteri Kokundeka.
She was arrested on November, 2nd, 2018 and has since been in Luzira prison following her refusal to apply for bail.
Prosecution laid evidence from three witnesses including Detective Assistant Superintendents of police Bill Ndyamuhaki, Harriet Kenyana and lawyer Charles Dalton Opwonya who pinned her of the offenses in question.
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