Just of recent, the world was on a campaign against death penality which really made sense to me or any other human rights activist in the world.
It is absurd to hear that in 2010 almost 67 countries in the world used their legal systems to impose death sentence to their citizens.
This may either be on persons guilty of committing capital offence or crimes of grave nature on the state or community.
Death sentence in its self is a violation of the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and therefore a crime against humanity.
When one is killed, is not so actually affected by that particular punishment, it’s the family and dependants that feel the grave pain, for some little period that person may feels the same pain before the time of execution and may be the psychological torture that arises with this sentence.
As the world was advocating for abolition of this heinous practice on 11th October, Uganda was battling with cases of bribery and corruption against senior government officers like former VP- Prof Gilbert Bukenya who spent some days in Luzira prison over mismanagement of CHOGM funds.
Other cases include Prime Minister- Hon. Amama Mbabazi, Minister of Foreign Affairs- Hon. Sam Kuteesa, and Minister of Internal Affairs- Hon. Eng Hillary Onek who are now being investigated over allegations of receiving bribe and kickbacks to facilitate and favor oil companies win Uganda’s oil extraction deals.
These offences can lead to execution in countries like China and North Korea just like rape, defilement, murder, treason, and others.
Corruption has failed most of our states and their functions in planning and to foster socio- economic and political development.
Funds meant to develop and provide efficient facilities like medical care and drugs, education and transport facilities, subsidies to the agricultural and industrial sector are swindled and utilized by a clique of people irrespective of the general condition of the population.
In most cases, states use various means to abuse the right to life of their people, they use extra judicial killings, torture, discrimination and inhuman treatment, waging of unnecessary conflicts and wars, and through denial of basic social and public services to part or its entire population.
Governments come with a lot of enthusianism and promise to over-shadow and win support among the population over their previous regimes, but implementing this becomes a dream that can’t be achieved.
In 1986, President Yoweri K Museveni promised all Ugandans of good governance, economic stability and development, security and protection from aggression and any form of human rights abuse including right to life.
But today we see his right hand ministers being openly blamed for mismanagement and abuse of public funds meant to support the people, and he contrary comes out to defend them.
If confirmed to be true, then it will be very shameful, because these people are supposed to be considered role models in our amidst as liberators and revolutionary leaders.
When we talk of justice, it should be justice to everybody irrespective of contacts or relationships; it should be justice with respect to humanity and its notion of natural law as illustrated by faith.
“God commands you to render back your trust to those to whom are due; and when you judge between man and man, that you judge with justice.” Holy Quran, Surat-ul An- Nisa 4:58.
All laws that contradict this should be amended or removed from our national, regional and international laws to abolish this. This includes article 22 (1) of Uganda’s constitution.
“No person shall be deprived of life intentionally except in execution of a sentence passed in fair trial by court of competent jurisdiction in respect of a criminal offence under the law of Uganda and the conviction and sentence have been confirmed by the highest appellate court.”
Sometimes our judiciary (law) makes justice injustice to the poor or the disadvantaged; we have seen people convicted of crimes they never committed, and this comes to be known years after.
What happens if this person is executed before the truth is uncovered? Is it possible to bring his/her life back? How do we then sort out the pain inflicted on his/her relatives? How about the psychological torture? Then, what happens to that “harmony or peace” achieved by the affected families? We all ought to answer these questions before castrating anybody.
Mohammed Yusuf is a
Pan Africanist and Researcher
Email: yousum2001@yahoo.com
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