The High Court in Kampala has awarded journalist Pidson Kareire UGX 30 million in damages after ruling that his rights were violated during his arrest and detention in a case linked to alleged defamation of former Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Simon Peter Kinobe, the court found that Kareire had been subjected to torture, denied access to medical treatment, and blocked from communicating with his lawyers and family while in state custody.
Justice Kinobe ruled that the actions of security operatives amounted to violations of Kareire’s constitutional rights, particularly the right to personal liberty and protection from torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
“It is therefore my finding that the respondents’ denial of medical care from his personal doctor, denial of access to his family members and lawyers, were violations of his right to personal liberty,” the judge stated in his ruling.
Court records indicate that Kareire, a journalist attached to Drone Media, was allegedly lured into a trap on November 4, 2021, after receiving a phone call from a person claiming to work with Red Pepper newspaper. The caller reportedly invited him to Hotel Equatorial in Kampala over what was described as an urgent media assignment.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Kareire contacted the caller, who allegedly identified him by his purple shirt before armed men in civilian clothes seized him and forced him into a Toyota Harrier vehicle.
According to his testimony, the group, said to be about seven men, repeatedly beat and interrogated him during the journey, accusing him of tarnishing the image of then-Deputy Speaker Anita Among.
Kareire told court that he was first taken to the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka and later transferred to Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters in Mbuya, where he allegedly suffered further torture.
He identified police officers Ernest Mpora, Aggrey Aruho, and Charles Atwiine as some of the individuals involved in the alleged abuse.
The journalist was later arraigned before Buganda Road Court, charged with offensive communication and criminal defamation, and remanded to Kitalya Prison. He was eventually granted bail on December 13, 2021, before the criminal case was later dismissed.
Following the dismissal, Kareire, supported by the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ), petitioned the High Court seeking compensation for violations of his constitutional rights.
In his ruling, Justice Kinobe said medical evidence presented before court strongly supported Kareire’s claims of torture.
“Although the state agents deny any form of torture, I find the medical report credible,” the judge ruled, noting that the injuries documented were consistent with the period Kareire was under detention.
The court further observed that the wounds and injuries described in the medical examination corroborated Kareire’s account that he had been beaten and pierced with sharp metallic objects while in custody.
Justice Kinobe emphasized that although law enforcement agencies have the mandate to arrest suspects, they are required to uphold constitutional safeguards and human rights during investigations and detention.
The court consequently ordered the Attorney General and police officer Ernest Mpora to jointly compensate Kareire with UGX 30 million in general damages, in addition to meeting the legal costs of the suit.
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