Uganda: case closes in activist Nyanzi trial

The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala has closed the defence in the case of Ugandan activist Stella Nyanzi, charged with cyber harassment and offensive communication on social media, deemed critical of President Yoweri Museveni.

Gladys Kamasanyu, closed the case on Tuesday after the defence failed to produce witnesses.

“She (Stella Nyanzi) voluntarily waived her own right to call witnesses and this court therefore considers that the accused does not have to call witnesses in her defence. And since the accused has chosen this choice, this court has no choice but to dismiss the defence. And the defence case is now closed.”

Imprisoned in the country’s first psychiatric centre in Luzura, the activist had unsuccessfully asked the court to summon some 20 witnesses.

The Magistrate said the defence did not give the court any justification to compel the summoned witnesses to court through arrest warrants defence asked court to issue.

According to Isaac Ssemakadde, Stella Nyanzi’s defence lawyer “here, we have excessive interference, we have had excessive interference in the defence case, according to the procedural codes. So we did not find a solution. And we have already mentioned it in this court. So we are not surprised by the result.”

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has set August 1 as the date it will deliver its judgment in the stella Nyanzi case.

It should be recalled that the defense does not believe in the objectivity of the Kampala Magistrate’s court.