"He said that Reform Agenda is taking precautions and has issued a hotline
077-441943 for its supporters. It would also take legal action if members are
arrested and not produced in court within 48 hours, he said."
Besigye Group Fear Arrest
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The Monitor (Kampala)
December 16, 2002
Posted to the web December 17, 2002
Badru D. Mulumba
Kampala
Members of Reform Agenda yesterday said they are living in fear of impending
arrests during the Christmas break.
The opposition pressure group chaired by Kizza Besigye told a press
conference in Kampala that they have been informed that President Yoweri
Museveni reportedly gave the arrest order.
But State House immediately dispelled the allegation as politicking.
At the press conference attended by Publicity Secretary Beti Kamya and
National Treasurer Wycliffe Akandonda, Reform Secretary General Geoffrey
Ekanya said, "The president has directed that during the Christmas holiday,
several groups of people including Reform Agenda activists be arrested."
The press conference was held at the Reform Agenda offices in Kamwokya.
But the President's Deputy Press Secretary Onapito Ekomoloit laughed off the
allegation yesterday.
"That is a very wild allegation," Onapito said on phone. "I don't think the
president can direct that an arrest be effected. That is the work of the
Police."
Police spokesman Assuman Mugenyi said that Police can only arrest Reform
supporters if they engage in illegal acts.
"Why would we arrest their members? If we had wanted to arrest them, we would
have done so long ago," Mugenyi said on phone. "Unless they are saying that
they will commit crimes. And if they commit crimes we will arrest them.
Whether Reform or not, anyone who commits a crime will be arrested."
Reform Agenda declined to name their sources, saying that doing so would
jeopardise the lives of the sources.
The group would also not say which security organisation is to effect the
arrest.
Asked to name the organisation to which the president gave the directive,
Ekanya said, 'The president as a Commander-in-Chief gives directives to
security organs. They are supposed to act. They know the people they want to
pick, but for us we advise them to act in accordance with the law. Several
groups of people know, and the security organs know."
He would not say why Reform members would be arrested. And he declined to say
whether their fear of arrest stems from the statement issued by Besigye,
which discusses whether conditions exist in Uganda that make it ripe for war.
"We don't know," he said. "We don't support any kind of subversive
activities. That is why we are wondering why security organs should arrest
us."
He said that Reform Agenda is taking precautions and has issued a hotline
077-441943 for its supporters. It would also take legal action if members are
arrested and not produced in court within 48 hours, he said.
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