UGANDA: Uganda police fire tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators suppoting striking judges

Tear gas and water cannon were fired at demonstrators in Uganda. They were supporting judges who had gone on strike in protest against what they say was an invasion of the courts by armed military police. Ugandan police fired tear gas and water cannons on Monday (March 5) at demonstrators supporting a strike by judges over government security forces' seizure of six bailed opposition supporters in a Kampala courtroom. Uganda's judges began the week-long strike in protest against what they said was an invasion of the courts last Thursday (March 1) by armed military police. The police attacked suspects who had just been bailed on treason charges and dragged them back to prison. On Monday (March 5) four anti-riot police vehicles surrounded the demonstrators who were chanting in local Luganda language, "We like Besigye, we like money". The police tear gassed the Besigye supporters as they surrounded the opposition leader's motorcade. Demonstrators scampered to safety and used water from bottles to neutralise the stinging gas in their eyes while motorists drove away from the scene. "We shall not accept the blatant repression and all the attendant criminal acts of the rogue regime. We shall not accept, we shall defy. They can arrest all of us. They can kill us but at the end of the day, the people of Uganda will prevail," said Besigye when he arrived at a press conference in parliament. Local journalists said one child died after a canister was lobbed into a minibus, but this has not yet been confirmed. Police initially blocked Besigye from accessing parliament buildings but the blockade was removed after confrontation with other MPs, both opposition and government, who asked the police to allow one of them through. Later Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni addressed a press conference and said the re - arrests were justified, "Somebody charged of treason, if convicted, he will be sentenced to death under the law of Uganda. So, to release such a person on bail, you are joking, you are not serious," he said. The six defendants re-arrested on Thursday (March 1) were charged alongside opposition leader Kizza Besigye with plotting a rebellion. The judge ruled they should be granted bail, but military police forced their way into the high court to seize them. Chief Registrar Lawrence Gidudu denounced the siege and invasion of the courtroom. He told Reuters the judges will meet on Friday (March 9) to decide whether to continue the strike.

ITN Source | March 6, 2007

Tags:. .gone. .accessing. .addressed. .safety. .protest