Lira City | The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has expressed growing concern over the increasing number of fraudulent and inconsistent human rights complaints, after dismissing two separate cases filed against the Attorney General for lack of credible evidence.
The Commission, sitting in Lira City under the chairpersonship of Mariam Fauzat Wangadya, found that the complaints were built on false statements and deliberate attempts to mislead the tribunal.
The two cases – one involving an alleged police killing in Dokolo District and another over alleged torture by prison warders in Lira – were thrown out after witnesses contradicted their earlier testimonies and failed to substantiate their claims.
In the first case, Tonny Odongo, a resident of Acanako Village in Lira District, accused prison officers of torturing him while he was serving a sentence at Lira Main Prison.
He alleged that while working in a privately owned cassava garden in Boke, two inmates escaped, prompting officers to open fire.
Odongo maintained that he did not attempt to flee, yet he was tied to a tree and beaten by the warders, leaving him with serious injuries.
However, the tribunal noted glaring inconsistencies in his account.
In a statement recorded in 2014, Odongo had admitted that he was among the escapees, claiming he was persuaded by another inmate to flee.
During the hearing, he disowned this statement and accused the recording officer of distorting his words.
He also denied ever paying a bribe of Shs150,000 to a prison officer to avoid being formally charged with escape, even though this claim appeared in his earlier testimony.
The tribunal further dismissed his claim that he was admitted to Lira University Hospital for treatment, noting that there was no record of such hospitalization in the Commission’s files.
In the second case, Gumex Okwanga alleged that his brother’s son, Richard Okweny, was shot and killed by police officers after being detained at Dokolo Police Station.
But UHRC investigations found that Okwanga was not the biological father of the deceased, and that the case lacked credible supporting evidence.
The Commission also observed that the murder charge initially filed against the accused officer, identified as Owani, had been reduced to manslaughter and later dismissed by court due to insufficient evidence.
Chairperson Wangadya said the Commission could not rely on fabricated statements and conflicting testimonies, emphasizing that the tribunal’s duty is to uphold truth and justice, not to entertain falsehoods.
The Director for Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services, Pauline Nansamba Mutumba, said the Commission continues to face challenges in verifying the authenticity of complaints.
She noted that some cases have taken more than 16 years to resolve because of limited resources, although recent government support has enabled tribunal sessions in five regions, resulting in the disposal of about 65 cases so far.
Mutumba attributed the inconsistencies observed in many testimonies to the background of complainants, some of whom have prior criminal records or personal reasons for altering their statements.
She explained that certain individuals feel embarrassed about their past conduct and later retract their admissions during hearings, making it difficult for the tribunal to determine the truth.
She added that forgery and fabricated evidence have become a growing concern for the Commission.
According to her, both complainants and investigators must take extra caution to ensure every document and testimony is thoroughly verified before being presented to the tribunal.