Lawyers in Uganda are holding a one-day strike in protest at the recent deployment of troops at the High Court. Some 100 lawyers gathered in black gowns and called on the attorney general (justitsministeren) to resign, BBC Online reports Monday.
Soldiers in black T-shirts and wielding machine-guns were sent to a court where men accused of treason with opposition leader Kizza Besigye were appearing.
The deployment was widely condemned by lawyers and judges as an attack on the independence of Ugandas judiciary. The government insists that there is nothing untoward – the strong security measures are needed against men accused of trying to topple President Yoweri Museveni.
The Ugandan Law Society wants to send out a message of disapproval of what they say is the undermining of the judiciary by the army.
– The attorney general has failed to discharge his constitutional duty as the chief legal advisor to the government of Uganda and we are hereby calling upon him to resign, said Law Society President Moses Adriko.
He also criticised aspects of the military legal process, which Dr Besigye is also facing. – It is unacceptable in a free and democratic society for armed men to intimidate or otherwise interfere with the due process of the law, he said.
In the coming days judges in the constitutional court will give a ruling on whether Dr Besigye’s trial at both the High Court and the military court martial is legal.
Many Ugandans are increasingly concerned at the growing influence of the military, BBC adds.
