City Lawyer Serves Prisons Boss Byabashaija With Intention To Sue Letters Over Removing Bobi Wine's Designer Dreadlocks While On Remand In Luzira Prison.

The Kampala City Lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde has written to prisons Commissioner Dr Johnson Byabashaija challenging the prison service on what he called inhuman practice of forced hair removal in Luzira group of prisons.

Ssemakadde says that, the traumatic experience of Latif Madoi a 47 year old suspect who had his 17 year old Rastafarian dreadlocks cutoff is a stark example of the dehumanization and violation of human rights occurring within the prison facilities.

He says, the act contravened the rules (34)4 and (35)5 of Uganda's Prison Regulations 2012, section 57(a) of the prison Act 2006, Article 23, 24, 27, 28(3)(a), 28 (7), 44(a), 44(c) and 45 of the constitution and several international human Right treaties which Uganda has ratified .

''It is unacceptable that remand prisoners who are presumed innocent until proven guilty''. Said Ssemakadde.

The Lawyer thus demand for public apology for the violations on or before 2nd August 2024, launch of independent investigatgation into these violations and punitive compensation of Madoi latif and othe  similar affected prisoners for the trauma and dehumanization suffered.

Other demands innclude; providing counseling and rehabilitation services to affected Prisoners.

Ssemakadde revealed that should the Uganda Prisons service  fail to apologize and compensate the victims of their hair freedom violations, the y will be left with no option but to petition the high court on 15th August 2024.

They also demand for policy reforms by immediateely repeal the forced hair removal policy for remand prisoners, training and sensitization of prisoners on human rights and training for prison staff.

He also sent a remaider to the commissioner General about the US sanctions for human rights violations under the Global magnitsky Act of 2016.