Human Rights Tribunal awards Shs 60m to widow of man tortured to death.

Chepkwemoi, a resident of Kapsiywo village in Bukwo district, sought justice after her husband was brutally beaten for over two hours by 17 soldiers who accused him of possessing an illegal firearm. On the fateful day, Cherotwo was working in his garden when armed soldiers arrived, ordered him to sit down, and began assaulting him with big sticks while demanding that he produce a firearm. Despite his pleas, the soldiers continued the beating before taking him to Seredet detach and later to Bukwo hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries within hours. In her complaint, lodged under case number SRT/229/2006, Chepkwemoi argued that her husband’s unlawful killing was a violation of his right to life. She further contended that the soldiers acted in their official capacity as state agents, making the government liable for compensation. Among the key pieces of evidence considered by the tribunal was a letter dated January 20, 2006, from the Kapchorwa district police commander (DPC) to the regional head of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) in Soroti. The letter confirmed Cherotwo’s arrest and torture at the hands of UPDF soldiers and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit on November 4, 2004. The tribunal also noted that an investigation into the murder led to the arrest and prosecution of two soldiers – Pte Emaru George and Pte Alfred Asinge before the 3rd Division Court Martial in Mbale. In its ruling, the tribunal condemned the soldiers’ actions, highlighting the horrific final moments Cherotwo endured. “He was viciously and brutally beaten by 17 UPDF soldiers. They were a lynch mob!” stated UHRC Commissioner Crispin Kaheru while reading the verdict. The tribunal further criticized the soldiers for ignoring the testimony of LC I chairman Gilbert Chepnoyen, who had assured them that Cherotwo did not own a firearm. Instead, they acted on a false and malicious tip-off from an angry creditor of Cherotwo. “The order for him to produce a gun he knew nothing about was horrifying and a nightmare to him,” the ruling stated. “The soldiers ought to have listened to LC I chairman, Gilbert Chepnoyen, who told them that he was sure that Cherotwo had no gun in his possession. They instead chased the LC I chairman away and acted on a false and malicious report given to them by Cherotwo’s angry creditor.” Cherotwo’s case is among 18 matters being handled by the UHRC Tribunal in Soroti over four days. In the morning session, the tribunal also awarded compensation to two other victims of torture, David Olobo of Kamuda in Soroti received Shs 10 million, while Lawrence Ojur of Katakwi district was awarded Shs 4 million.