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world news Dialuna 28 December 2020

Bobi Wine says bodyguard killed in Uganda polls violence

(AP) — A bodyguard Cameraman Ashraf Kasirye, The three casualties are the
for Ugandan opposition a member of a TV crew that latest victims of election-
leader Bobi Wine was follows Wine wherever he related violence as Uganda's
killed and two journalists goes, suffered a serious head security forces are accused
injured on Sunday amid injury. of trying to stop Wine from
violent confrontations holding raucous public ral-
between security forces “We are hoping against hope lies.
and followers of the sing- that he will live,” Wine said Uganda faces growing pres-
er and lawmaker who is of Kasirye on Twitter. sure from the internation-
challenging the country’s al community and rights
long-time leader. Another journalist, Ali Mi- watchdogs to respect human
vule of local broadcaster rights ahead of polls sched-
A tearful Wine, whose NTV, was injured after a uled for Jan. 14. The arrest
real name is Kyagulanyi tear gas canister hit his leg, and detention last week of a
Ssentamu, said his body- according to his employer. prominent rights attorney,
guard had died of his injuries His condition was said to be Nicholas Opiyo, over crimi-
after allegedly being run over stable. nal charges has added to what saying he would guarantee has been criticized by some
by a truck belonging to the some critics see as a campaign his safety. who see it as a ploy to prevent
military police. The victim, Police said in a statement of repression targeting civic opposition figures from dis-
Francis Senteza, was attacked that while trying to quell leaders, activists, journalists Wine's campaign events have playing their support in areas
while helping to transport a confrontations with Wine's and perceived political oppo- become increasingly affected where the ruling party is not
journalist injured in an ear- supporters, “journalists were nents. by violent confrontations so popular.
lier confrontation between regrettably caught up during with authorities and Wine
police and a group of Wine's the process of dispersing the President Yoweri Museveni, himself has been arrested Museveni is able to seek
supporters, he said. violent group.” Kasirye is in who has held power since many times by police who ac- more time in office after
critical condition after being 1986, faces the strong chal- cuse him of trying to disrupt lawmakers removed the last
Wine was campaigning Sun- apparently hit by a tear gas lenge of Wine, who appeals public order. constitutional obstacle — age
day in parts of central Ugan- canister, it said. to young people wishing to limits — to a possible life
da where he has considerable see a change of government. Electoral authorities on Sat- presidency for the 76-year-
support. As his convoy tried The Ugandan army spokes- Museveni's government is urday banned campaign old leader.
to proceed from one rally to person, Brig. Flavia Bye- frequently criticized for cor- events in some urban areas,
the next, police fired tear gas kwaso, disputed Wine’s ver- ruption as well as widespread including the capital Kam- Uganda has never seen a
into the crowd, injuring at sion of events, saying the joblessness in the urban cen- pala, citing an urgent need peaceful transfer of power
least two journalists. bodyguard fell while trying ters. Wine has repeatedly to control the spread of the since independence from
to jump into a speeding car. urged Museveni to retire, coronavirus. That decision Britain in 1962.

Top associate of Russia's Navalny released from detention

(AP) — A top associate of Monday to enter the Mos- detention Sunday, Sobol told Navalny, who is convalescing any traces” of poison.
Russian opposition leader cow apartment of the alleged reporters she has been for- in Germany, said he phoned
Alexei Navalny was re- operative, whom Navalny mally charged and insisted the man hours before the Navalny fell sick during the
leased from detention had previously duped into the case against her was “re- investigative group Belling- Aug. 20 flight in Russia and
Sunday and said she was revealing details of his alleged venge” on Navalny. cat released a report alleging was flown to Berlin while
charged with trespassing poisoning. that FSB operatives with spe- still in a coma for treatment
after entering the apart- On Monday, Navalny re- cialized training in chemical two days later. Labs in Ger-
ment building of an al- Sobol and her allies denied leased the recording of a weapons followed him for many, France and Sweden,
leged security operative the accusations and main- phone call he said he made to years and were in close vicin- and tests by the Organization
who inadvertently re- tained that she violated no a man he identified as Kon- ity when he was poisoned. for the Prohibition of Chem-
vealed details of Navalny’s law by ringing the doorbell stantin Kudryavtsev and de- ical Weapons, established that
supposed poisoning with a to the apartment. While So- scribed as an alleged member In the call, Navalny intro- he was exposed to a Soviet-
Soviet-era nerve agent. bol was being questioned, the of a group of officers of the duced himself as a security era Novichok nerve agent.
state Investigative Commit- Federal Security Service, or official and beguiled his in-
Lyubov Sobol, a key figure in tee issued a statement accus- FSB, who purportedly poi- terlocutor into sharing details Russian authorities have
Navalny’s Anti-Corruption ing her of violent trespassing soned him with the Soviet- of the alleged poisoning oper- vehemently denied any in-
Foundation, was detained for — criminal charges that carry era Novichok agent in Au- ation and acknowledging that volvement in the poisoning,
48 hours on Friday after a day a sentence of up to two years gust and then tried to cover he was involved in the “pro- and the FSB dismissed the
of interrogation. The move in prison. it up. cessing” of Navalny’s under- recording released by Naval-
followed Sobol’s attempt on Shortly after her release from wear so “there wouldn’t be ny as fake.

Turkish lawmakers pass bill monitoring civil society groups

(AP) — Turkey’s parlia- Mass Destruction,” allow the online donation campaigns larly open terrorism investi-
ment approved a law Sun- annual inspection of nongov- without permits. Nearly 680 civil society gations into people for peace-
day that would increase ernmental organizations, os- groups signed a declara- fully exercising rights to free-
government monitoring tensibly to combat terrorism The bill, proposed by Presi- tion against the bill, saying dom of expression, assembly,
of civil society groups, financing. dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan's it would limit their ability and association,” Human
which rights groups have ruling party, passed with the to raise funds and organize Rights Watch said in a state-
warned would violate the The law also lets the interior votes of the party and its na- while putting them under ment before the vote.
freedom of association. ministry replace members of tionalist allies. ministry pressure. They said
associations if they are be- the law violates the Turkish The rights group warned the
Newly introduced articles ing investigated on terror- Turkey’s anti-terrorism laws Constitution, which guaran- law would “widen the scope
on associations and founda- ism charges and gives it the are broad and have led to the tees the freedom of associa- for the Interior Ministry to
tions, included in the bill power to suspend activities jailing of politicians, journal- tion. restrict the activities of any
on “Preventing Financing of with a court order. It also al- ists, civil society activists and organization and individuals
Proliferation of Weapons of lows courts to block access to thousands of others. “Turkish prosecutors regu- engaged in them.”