Uganda should stop field executions of soldiers tried...

Uganda should stop field executions of soldiers tried under martial law until their appeals have been heard, the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights said. The commission, which oversees the African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights, to which Uganda is a signatory, said it would appeal to President Museveni to suspend the death penalty. In a letter to American petitioners protesting the execution of two UPDF soldiers in March 2002 in Soroti, commission secretary Germain Baricako said the African Commission would appeal to "the President of Uganda and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Uganda to take all measures to uphold Uganda's obligations under the African Charter especially in respect to Article 7(1)". Article 7(1) of the Charter recognises the right of individuals to appeal to competent organs like the courts of law, right to innocence until proven guilty, a right to a competent defence, as well as a right to be tried within a reasonable time. Cpl. James Omedio and Pte. Abdalla Mohamed, on whose behalf the petition was prepared, were executed for allegedly murdering an Irish priest, Fr. Declan O'Toole in Karamoja. The petitioners said the soldiers' trial was rushed and that the two were shot within hours of the verdict - just four days after their arrest. The petition also alleged that the execution date of the soldiers was decided before their trial. They also claimed that the head of the field court martial, Col. Sula Semakula, was also responsible for conducting the pre-trial investigations as well as appointing members of the tribunal that condemned the soldiers. Another death sentence was handed to Cpl. Pimudu Ginaro in September 2003 for alleged cowardice. He allegedly failed to respond to information regarding a rebel attack, which later led to the deaths of eight civilians. President Museveni pardoned him using his prerogative of mercy.