There has been mystery on how the French citizen Benjamin Rutabana disappeared after landing at Entebbe International Airport and which people could have been more interested in him.
But this story reveals every single detail of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
Rutabana was allegedly arrested in Kampala in September last year by plain clothes men who identified themselves as being operatives from CMI.
It’s alleged that he was taken to Mbuya CMI headquarters and taken to ISO, back to CMI and thereafter his whereabouts are still unknown up to now.
Following his disappearance, Rutabana’s family after trying all Ugandan authorities in for help in vain, decided to approached International Relief and Human Rights Initiative (IRHRI).
It was established by IRHRI that Mr Rutabana had flown from Belgium to Uganda on or about September 8, 2019 on passport number 16DA52086.
IRHRI based in United States, hired a Ugandan lawyer Dr David Mushabe who filed the application for a production warrant in Kampala High Court against top Ugandan security agencies including; UPDF, CMI, ISO, Uganda Police and Attorney General.
High Court Judge Esta Nambayo issued a production warrant against these agencies, but after two court sessions, the Attorney General revealed that he was unable to find Rutabana in any of Uganda’s known custodies.
He recommended that diplomatic means be considered to be able to establish Rutabana’s whereabouts.
Money, power struggle behind Rutabana’s disappearance
Money, power struggle behind Rutabana’s disappearance?
According to a confidential document from IRHRI which our reporter fortunately looked at, while following the case of Rutabana’s disappearance, it was found out that there were some individuals including his so called friends who significantly contributed to his arrest and continued spreading rumours and bringing confusion about his disappearance in Uganda.
It has been revealed that all this is caused by the power struggle in the Rwanda National Congress. These people received a lot of money from Rutabana, being a tycoon in return for some favours, but they plotted to swindle and put him in trouble such that he lacks the ground to claim it, such that they can enjoy it freely.
“These people have personal interests there are pursuing. Rutabana’s arrest was caused by misinforming agents who sought to portray him as subversive whereas not. This was caused by misunderstandings between Rutabana and Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa and some other colleagues in their political party Rwanda National Congress (RNC),” the document reads in part.
Mr Greg Simith Heavens, the president of IRHRI who signed the document, said these individuals for long had been intimidating and threatening Rutabana not to step in Uganda again or else his life will be in trouble. He says they are using Ugandan security by giving wrong information about him, so that he can remain incarcerated.
“The same people have reached an extent of threatening us, leaders of the IRHRI organization and some family members saying that if we do not stop following up the case, they will influence the closure of the office of our organization in Uganda.”
“We are afraid that the situation might be worse if something is not done urgently in this time in order to protect and defend rights of voiceless people like him and others in needs especially those with Rwandan origin who are being deported bac,” Mr Greg said.
He called upon President Museveni to intervene in the matter before these selfish individuals tarnished the good image of Uganda.
“This is a very sensitive case and we request that it should be solved as soon as possible before more bad things happen. We also would like to condemn the treaty reached between Uganda and Rwanda to release each other’s prisoners. This can be used wrongly and politically only in the interests of Rwandan government in order to persecute and violate the rights of some targeted individuals with Rwandan origin especially those viewed as critics,” the IRHRI president wrote.
It is known worldwide how the security operatives in Rwanda have gone far in fabricating and framing false cases against Kagame’s opponents and even going ahead to murder them.
“On behalf of IRHRI and on my own behalf, I would like to thank the government of Uganda for observing the rule of law. Rutabana and IRHRI will be Uganda’s witnesses that it’s not a torturing state, once he is released clean,” Mr Greg said.
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