Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Human Rights attorney Eron Kiiza has petitioned the Excessive Court in Kampala to launch his passport.
The passport used to be deposited in court docket on April fifth, as a condition of his bail after nearly three months in detention ordered by Brigadier Freeman Robert Mugabe, the Chairperson of the defunct Common Court Martial.
In his formal utility filed on Friday, prior to the Criminal Division of the Excessive Court, Kiiza is soliciting for an insist for the launch of his passport number AA541257, declaring that the persisted withholding of the account violates his constitutional rights and hinders his uncover admission to to pressing medical care in a foreign country.
He argues that the passport used to be surrendered in compliance with bail conditions scheme by Justice Michael Elubu, who had made provision for Kiiza to retrieve it upon making an utility can even calm he favor to slip.
Kiiza crucial facets in an affidavit that he used to be tortured and illegally detained by the Common Court Martial, which he describes as a protection force tribunal, on January Seventh 2025, and held for 86 days at Kitalya penal complex until April 4th 2025, when he used to be released on bail.
The bail conditions incorporated a money bond of 20 million shillings, non-money sureties of 50 million shillings every, monthly reporting to the Registrar of the Criminal Division, and deposit of his passport with the court docket.
Following his launch, Kiiza contends that he wrote two letters on April twenty fourth and Will also Seventh 2025 asking for the return of his passport to slip for medical treatment, leisure, and respite as told by his doctor.
Nonetheless, in accordance to Kiiza, he got no substantive response until Thursday, when the Deputy Registrar, Samuel Twakyire, told him to file a proper utility.
In his affidavit, Kiiza states that the extend in releasing his passport has resulted in him sleepless nights and aggravated his trauma. He furthermore printed that he’s in threat of missing a serious world outing to Costa Rica in early July 2025, which forms segment of his restoration path of.
He adds that he has had to depend on non everlasting slip paperwork within East Africa, which he describes as inconvenient and professionally limiting.
He argues that his persisted restriction from traveling undermines his necessary rights, at the side of freedom of circulation, non-public liberty, uncover admission to to a passport, human dignity, simply to properly being, and simply to lifestyles. Kiiza emphasizes that his legitimate work as a human rights attorney in most cases takes him past Uganda and East Africa, and that the present situation has already imprint him recommended alternatives in Europe and Asia.
Kiiza now needs conditions of his bail explicitly enable him to note for the return of his passport if wanted and that denying him this opportunity now amounts to an unjustified interference along with his constitutional entitlements.
He has asked the court docket to urgently keep in mind his utility and form any necessary and incidental instructions to be fade his rights are upheld.
The Excessive Court has now not yet fixed a date for listening to and Uganda (Director of Public Prosecutions) is listed as the exclusively respondent to his case.
Eron Kiiza used to be convicted on January Seventh 2025 when he had long past to suggest jailed opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutaale who had been at that time going thru prices of illegal possession of ammunition and navy weapons.
Nonetheless, the duo stays in penal complex and has since been transferred to the Civilian courts to face treason prices following a Supreme Court choice that barred the trial of civilians in Militia courts.
Eron Kizza has since appealed against his conviction and sentence, and proof prior to the Court means that as he approached the bar, he used to be blocked, obstructed, and denied uncover admission to by armed protection force personnel dressed in protection force police apparel and accordingly arrested illegally whereas he used to be on accountability as a attorney.
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