Ugandan opposition activist tortured, succumbs to injuries

Ugandan musician-cum-opposition activist Micheal Kalinda on Sunday night succumbed to his injuries, days after he was discovered with life-threatening injuries, according to reports from the capital Kampala. Kalinda, who was best known in the music industry as Zigy Wine, was first reported missing on July 21 before he was found last week dumped at the main public medical facility, Mulago Hospital fighting for his life. He was badly beaten up, one of his eyes plucked out, and two of his fingers had been cut off. The deceased musician was a close associate of Uganda’s popular opposition lawmaker, Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, who described Kalinda as a “strong supporter of People Power”. The two belonged to the same music record label known as Firebase. “Last night we visited the grieving family at Mulago and they are completely devastated. I dont know how those who carry out these atrocities on the citizens of Uganda hope to pay back for the tears they have caused to so many families and communities,” MP Kyagulanyi said in a statement. RIP #ZiggyWyne😢 (Michael Kalinda)#Justice4Ziggy Say NO to systemic, rampant and grave #HumanRightsViolations in #Uganda. Repression, brutalising, maiming, persecution, kidnapping, murdering of citizens must be stopped. #Impunity#EnoughIsEnough#WeShallOvercome@commonwealthsec pic.twitter.com/lNHClbAMn6 — Buffalo Soldier (@BuffaloSoldierA) August 5, 2019 Though he did not openly pin the state on the death of his close aide, Kyagulanyi linked it to opposition activism under the People Power movement that he leads, saying that this is not the first of such incident. “Friends, the state of our country is worrying. Zigy is just one of the countless people who are kidnapped, tortured and murdered daily in our nation. We receive reports of many supporters disappearing, while others have died in questionable ways, including suspicious accidents,” he said. He added: “As we mourn our brother, may we resolve to work even harder to redeem our country from this terror.” editor@newtimesrwanda.com

News

Ugandan opposition activist tortured, succumbs to injuries