The Ugandan regime through her Chieftancy of Military Intelligence (CMI) is funding Bob Atwime and Sarah Kagingo to spread a false moral equivalence narrative for their arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions, torture, cruel and inhumane treatment of Innocent Rwandans in their secret detention facilities. Through their usual media corruption channel, they are running fake stories that the recently deported smugglers were tortured.
Read: Once Uganda started the media smear campaign, they should have known the extent it will cover
They began this operation with Bob Atwine’s CommandPost on the 19th November, they published a sensational title teaser containing the word “torture” but made no reference to any mistreatments in the article. They were probably still cooking a juicy lie. With the teaser done, CMI moved to post two false torture stories, copy-pasted word for word, on two of their numerous sponsored mouthpieces; watchdog Uganda, Eyalama and Andrew Mwenda’s The Independent. The CMI mouthpieces invented a “torture” story and came up with faked ordeals which they published on their platforms aiming at deluding Ugandans that Rwanda also torture Ugandans as it has been the case for innocent Rwandans illegally held in Uganda; unfortunately they had no single evidence, be it on Gun Bat beatings or any sorts of alleged torture against Ugandan smugglers.
The smugglers were not tortured in anyway; they were arrested and charged for their crimes in the quickest legal procedure possible contrary to the innocent Rwandans held in Uganda. The Ugandan High Commission in Rwanda has access to Ugandan detainees at all stages. If they have been tortured on Rwandan soil, their embassy would have issued a protest note. Furthermore, in Rwanda, families of detainees (suspects or convicts) also have access to visit. Their families too would have protested at any ill treatment. These criminals were either bribed or coherence, 48 hours later, by CMI on what to say.
One of the smugglers hilariously claimed that he was saved from certain death his step-father, a “top Rwanda Police Officer”. In his fairy tale, the petty smuggler from Rutare village in Kabale district has a powerful Top Officer who begged for his release. These kind of laughable lies and fabrication are typical of CMI. The deliberately calculated false moral equivalence propaganda that CMI engaged in does serve one purpose; it reminds everyone why Rwanda is fighting for her citizens to be released or charged.
Unlike the fake smugglers fabrications that they were tortured without any evidence, Rwandans dumped at the border by CMI bear real scars; we recall the likes of Fidel Gatsinzi, Moses Ishimwe, Donne Kayibanda without forgetting those who lost their lives in CMI/ISO dungeons.
Some came back in wheel chairs, Jean de Dieu Singirankabo, a Rwandan preacher, father and husband lost his manhood while in the jail cells, others died of torture related trauma and one mother had her baby child taken away. The torture they endure include electric shocks, waterboarding, forced nudity, and an entire list of gruesome practices by CMI. CMI will not allow visits to family, lawyers or doctors. These Rwandans spend years incarcerated without trial on concocted charges.
Museveni regime’s watchdog Uganda, Eyalama and The Independent lacked evidences to the smugglers ‘torture allegations; they ignored the fact that Ugandan security agencies are on record for their brutality, they have been torturing, killing their own citizens. It is worth recalling how Uganda’s Award Winning photojournalist James Akena was attacked, beaten up and now confined in a wheelchair; Bobi Wine’s driver Yasin Kawuma was shot dead by Museveni’s elite force SFC (Read Daily Nation), upcoming musician and People Power Movement supporter Hannington Ssewankambo aka Sweet Pepsi was tortured by the same SFC, he later succumbed to torture injuries. (Read GreatLakesWatchman)
Comparing their plight to the lawful sanction of two smuggles is despicable and shameful, but the CMI that cut an innocent Rwandan’s manhood, snatched a baby from a mother before dumping her on the border has no problem with shame. They will continue to feed money and storylines via Bob Atwime and Sarah Kagingo hopelessly trying to get their propaganda to stick thus hoodwinking Ugandans from the reality on the regime’s inhumane acts against the neighboring state’s citizens.
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