Toughen on international crime – Museveni

By Anthony Wesaka

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called upon judicial officers in Commonwealth countries to handle perpetrators of international crime with an iron hand.

In a speech read for him by the Vice President, Edward Ssekandi, Mr Museveni said that in order for the judiciaries to remain relevant in the 21st century, they need to carry out reforms that will address current global challenges.

These challenges, according to the president, include international terrorism, piracy, human trafficking, cybercrime, genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, drug trafficking and corruption.

“The Judges and Magistrates should give attention to these current international challenges with need to clearly send a strong signal to the perpetrators that are arrested and tried. No mercy will be afforded to them but will accordingly be severely punished,” said President Museveni in his speech read for him by Vice President Edward Ssekandi.

The remarks were made today at the official opening of the 16th Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association Conference (CMJA) in Kampala.

Mr Museveni said Uganda will continue partnering with the international community to fight international crime.

“Uganda government has made it very clear that it will support any efforts by the international community to bring to book any perpetrators of international crime. That is why we have supported our own judges to sit in the international tribunals such as Justice Julia Sebutinde at the International Court of Justice and Justice Bbosa at the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda.”

This conference, convened under the theme “Justice for Everyone: Myth or Reality?” has attracted over 300 judicial officers including 13 Chief Justices from the 54 Commonwealth countries.

Speaking at the same forum, the Chief Justice of Uganda, Benjamin Odoki, called upon the Commonwealth judiciaries to protect their weak citizens by providing them with free legal representation in courts of law.

Source: Daily Monitor (11/09/2012): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Toughen+on+international+crime+++Museveni/-/688334/1504218/-/li26r7z/-/index.html