By Nasser Kayanja
Only three members of the prosecution team were present in court as the accused raised concerns over what they described as intimidation of their legal team, arguing that it was undermining their constitutional right to a fair trial.
Addressing the court, one of the accused said the alleged harassment of their lawyers was intended to deny them legal representation of their choice.
“We believe the intention behind this intimidation of our legal team is to make it impossible for us to have lawyers of our choice so that the State can impose its own lawyers on us,” the accused told the court.
He argued that the rule of law was under threat and that the challenges they were facing could affect any Ugandan.
“The rule of law is totally under attack because of what we are going through. This is a matter that concerns the whole country because it can happen to anybody, including you, my Lord,” he said.
The accused further submitted that they could not adequately defend themselves under the prevailing circumstances.
“As I pointed out, it is not possible to defend yourself when your hands and feet are tied and your lips are sealed, as is happening in our situation,” he said.
Although they remained eager to secure bail, the accused told the court that they had agreed to excuse their lawyers from appearing because of the circumstances surrounding the case.
“We are very anxious to obtain bail, but in the prevailing circumstances we have sympathised with our counsel and allowed them to stay away. We remain determined to insist on our right to be represented by lawyers of our own choice,” he said.
He added that unless the court issued further directions, they were prepared to remain on remand rather than proceed without legal representation of their choosing.
The accused also expressed concern about appearing in court while restrained.
“The court may choose to proceed, and we shall only be physically present in handcuffs and leg irons. We cannot be part of a process where a fair trial is not tenable,” he said.
The court is expected to determine the way forward after considering the concerns raised by the accused regarding their legal representation.