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The man who in January this year killed David Kato, the Ugandan gay rights activist, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his crime.
The Uganda High Court sitting in Mukono town where the murder was committed (about 25 kilometres from Kampala City) sentenced Nsubuga Sydney, alias Enock, to 30 years in jail on Wednesday evening.
Francis Onyango, Kato’s lawyer, who has been following the case confirmed the sentence to Behind the Mask this morning.
Justice Joseph Mulangira sentenced Nsubuga, on his own plea of guilty, for the murder of the gay rights activist on January 26, 2011 at his home in Mukono district.
Nsubuga pleaded guilty to both the police and before a magistrate, before he was committed to the High Court to stand trial.
Under Uganda’s judicial systems capital offences such as murder, rape and defilement are only heard by the high court, although suspects are brought before magistrates and charges are read to them as investigations go on.
Onyango said although Nsubuga’s case had not been scheduled for the on going high court criminal session, the judge had disposed off most of the cases that he had, and embarked on more cases.
Onyango explained, “It is normal for a judge to ask police and prisons authorities which inmates are willing to take a guilty plea.”
Onyango said that on Wednesday Nsubuga and other such prisoners were brought to court and Nsubuga pleaded guilty.
Onyango welcomed the speedy trial and conviction of Nsubuga saying, “Even the witnesses, lawyers and families of the man never knew he was convicted and sentenced. But this is normal in a criminal trial.”
Onyango had written to the Principal Judge early this year to have the David Kato murder trial expedited during one of the high court criminal sessions.
Uganda has a backlog of cases due to the shortage of judges and a lack of resources with which to expedite the trials.
Each year, the Principal Judge announces special Criminal Sessions in which during this time, judges concentrate on disposing off cases in criminal cases countrywide.
Onyango had feared that following the ordinary queue would have a delay in carrying out Justice.
David Kato Kisule, the Ugandan LGBT activist and human rights defender, was found murdered at his residence in Kyetume, Mukono District on January 26, 2011. The murder caused a worldwide sensation coming as it did shortly after the furore of the “Kill the gays bill” pushed by Ugandan MP David Bahati with the support of amongst others, right-wing US Christian evangelicals.
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 9:21 am and is filed under Breaking News, Human Rights Monitor, Uganda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
he should be hanged. he is treated with kid gloves. why?
Justice has been served.
[...] that Nsubuga Sydney, who had plead guilty to murdering LGBT advocate David Kato, was sentenced to thirty years in prison. Justice Joseph Mulangira sentenced Nsubuga, on his own plea of guilty, for the murder of the gay [...]