Ugandan writer, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, accused of insulting President Yoweri Museveni has filed a lawsuit against the government, alleging that soldiers tortured him.
Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was detained in December after reportedly disrespecting President Yoweri Museveni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a series of tweets. These allegations have been denied.
Rukirabashaija is praying the East African Court of Justice to rule that his detention, torture, and arrest were all unlawful.
After being granted bail by a judge, the award-winning Ugandan writer left the East African country in March.
Rukirabashaija, whose trial is scheduled for March 23, fled Uganda by reportedly trekking to Rwanda, and then travelling to a third country, where he was assisted by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, in his journey to Germany.
In 2021, Rukirabashaija was awarded the Pen Pinter Prize for a brave worldwide writer.