Five UPDF soldiers will appear before the field court martial at Pajimo Military barracks in Kitgum district today for torturing a suspected motorcycle thief.
The five soldiers were arrested after they were found to have participated in flogging the suspected thief on camera.
Jimmy Segawa Ebil, the Kitgum Resident District Commissioner told journalists on Wednesday evening that his office received the video in, which the suspected thief was being tortured at around 5 pm on Tuesday. Ebil said their investigations revealed that the video was indeed taken from Lagot Military Detach and identified the men in uniform.
The soldiers are Cpl. Richard Burton Otto, the commandant of detach Lagot Military detach (who reportedly commanded the torture of the suspect) Pte. Sunday Mugu, Pte. Martin Henry Omara, Pte. Morris Omara, Pte. Dennis Ogwang. Ebil said the Giso of Mucwini Sub-County, Simon Obonyo has also been arrested for participating in the torture.
Ebil added that the chairperson LC3 of Mucwini sub-county, Christopher Ongee, has also been arrested for his alleged involvement in the torture and is detained at Kitgum Central Police Station.
Ebil said that security does not tolerate torture as a means of extracting information from suspects or punishing them. He said anyone found to have taken part in torturing the suspected thief will be punished.
Col. Deo Akiiki, the UPDF deputy spokesperson, reiterated that the torture video is disturbing, adding that the UPDF does not tolerate torture against anybody and those arrested will be punished swiftly.
Akiiki cautioned soldiers against taking the law into their own hands, saying anyone caught on the wrong side of the law should be taken to court.
