Visit to jailed Ugandan politician defended

THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs has defended a visit by Irish diplomats to imprisoned Ugandan opposition leaders, which the Uganda government has said was made without diplomatic clearance.

A delegation of Irish, Dutch and European Commission development specialists last weekend visited Kizza Besigye, runner-up to veteran president Yoweri Museveni in a February presidential election. Mr Besigye was arrested last week on his way to work.

Ugandan authorities have accused Irish and Dutch diplomats of breaching rules by visiting Nakasongola prison, and said some unnamed countries were funding the opposition to destabilise the country. “They invited themselves to Nakasongola and through a process I am yet to find out, they got access to the prison but they were not authorized and they didn’t get diplomatic clearance,” Johnson Byabashaija, head of prisons, told a news conference yesterday.

Information minister Kabakumba Matsiko said the government would convey its unhappiness with the European delegation through diplomatic channels.

Uganda had intelligence indicating that “foreign elements” were funding the opposition to cause trouble, Mr Matsiko said.

“Foreigners are supporting the opposition . . . they’re planning to destabilise Uganda and prevent the swearing-in ceremony.”

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said the visit had been made with the consent of the Ugandan prison authorities and that no subsequent complaint had been received from the Ugandan government.

“The visit took place last weekend with the co-operation of the prison authorities and the only information we have about this is what we have seen in the media. We haven’t had any official notice from Uganda.”

The development specialists were part of a “technical mission” to assess prison conditions in Uganda, the spokesman said.

Mr Besigye has been charged with participating in an unlawful assembly.

He is being held with Nobert Mao, another former presidential contender and leader of the Democratic Party, who was charged with inciting violence and assaulting a police officer. Both leaders have been at the forefront of a “walk-to-work” campaign aimed at forcing the government to take urgent measures to reduce soaring food and fuel prices. – (Additional reporting Reuters)