By Witness Radio Team.
The hearing of a case against 20 anti-EACOP protesters has failed to take off for the third time due to the absence of the trial magistrate. According to Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Court, Her Worship Jalia Basajjabalaba was on official leave, and the case was adjourned to April 7, 2025.
The same trial, which was set for January, was stalled when the prosecution team failed to appear in court.
On August 27, 2024, the 20 activists, including Pitua Robert, Okwai Stephen, Kothurach Margret, Omirambe Moses, Owonda Rogers, Alimange Joseph, and Wabiyona Wicklyf, among others, were charged by the Buganda Road Magistrate Court with common nuisance.
These activists were arrested on August 26, 2024, while peacefully marching to the Ministry of Energy to deliver a petition opposing EACOP and other oil projects. The activists demanded justice, the upholding of their rights, and a halt to the oil industry’s violations of human rights and the environment.
The prosecution alleges that the accused marched through Kampala’s streets carrying placards and banners, causing annoyance, obstruction, or inconvenience to the public.
Section 160 of the Penal Code states that a person convicted of common nuisance faces a one-year imprisonment.
In their press conference held on Thursday, February 20, the accused activists demanded that the judiciary should stop delaying hearings of their case related to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project and called for the dismissal of their case if the court lacks sufficient evidence to prosecute them.
Despite the repeated delays, the activists remain resolute, viewing the postponements as a form of judicial harassment. They stand firm in their demand for a fair and expedited trial, emphasizing the importance of upholding human rights in the judicial process.
“The courts of law should not be used as tools of oppression. They should not waste any time. If we have a case to answer, let them prosecute us on April 7, which they have scheduled. If they fail again, they should dismiss the case instead of wasting our time and resources,” Barigye emphasized.
The activists stress that these delays not only cause emotional distress but also impose a significant financial burden. Many of them, hailing from rural areas, have to raise funds for transportation to attend court sessions in Kampala, only to be disappointed by repeated adjournments.
“These continuous adjournments have cost us a lot. Many activists live in rural areas and have to raise money for transport, only to be present in court, but are often grieved when the cases are adjourned again and again,” said Bob Barigye, one of the accused, in an interview with Witness Radio.
The Buganda Road Magistrates Court was expected to begin hearing prosecution witnesses against the activists on February 18. However, the session was adjourned to April 7.
The activists also voice their strong condemnation of the police’s unlawful arrests of demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights. They call for an immediate halt to these actions, asserting that such detentions do not address the real concerns of the communities affected by oil and gas projects.
“We strongly condemn these arrests. Detaining demonstrators does not address the concerns affecting grassroots communities that oil and gas projects impact. We also warn individual police officers involved in these rights violations to perform their duties professionally, or they will be held personally accountable,” the activists stated.
The demands come amidst a deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda, where civic space is shrinking, and opponents of the EACOP project face increasing repression. Defending communities and the environment from the negative impacts of oil projects have effectively been criminalized. Community land and environment defenders and communities continue to face arbitrary arrests, detentions, and excessive delays in court proceedings.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is a 1,443-kilometer heated pipeline transporting crude oil from Hoima, Uganda, to Tanga, Tanzania. The first 296 kilometers run through Uganda, while the remaining 1,147 kilometers pass through Tanzania. The project is a joint venture between TotalEnergies, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
