<\/p>\n
Uganda Law Society President Isaac Ssemakadde said authorities had not formally confirmed whether Elwelu had been arrested.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Elwelu\u2019s movement was reportedly restricted at an undisclosed location in eastern Uganda following allegations of plotting to destabilise parts of the country. \u201cIt\u2019s not yet confirmed whether it\u2019s an arrest. That\u2019s the state of the rule of law in Uganda,\u201d Ssemakadde said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The military reportedly announced that Elwelu had been captured after Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba made social media statements accusing the retired military officer of subversive activity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ssemakadde said Kainerugaba had claimed Elwelu had been stripped of rank and threatened with being shot on sight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Uganda Law Society called for Elwelu to receive full constitutional protection, including access to legal representation and appearance before a court if formally detained.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe law should take its course,\u201d Ssemakadde said. \u201cIf this is an arrest in the constitutional sense, Elwelu should be guaranteed due process and full protection of all constitutional rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Elwelu\u2019s family has denied the allegations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ssemakadde questioned the credibility of the case, saying Elwelu had not been summoned to assist police investigations or given adequate notice of the allegations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some government officials and presidential advisers had subsequently adopted a less confrontational tone and referred to lawful procedures and possible negotiations, Ssemakadde said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reports that Elwelu could face treachery charges have also raised concern because the offence can carry the death penalty under military law.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ssemakadde said proceedings before a military court could undermine the prospect of a fair trial.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe military court martial was declared unconstitutional last year,\u201d Ssemakadde said, adding that continuing legal challenges surrounded subsequent efforts to revive the system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The case comes as Kainerugaba\u2019s stated intention to contest the Presidency in 2031 fuels debate over succession after President Yoweri Museveni\u2019s decades in power.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Uganda Law Society said authorities should disclose Elwelu\u2019s location, legal status and any charges without delay.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica—<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41185,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-50119","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The reported detention of former Deputy Military Chief General Peter Elwelu has intensified concern about due process and succession politics in Uganda.","published_date":"","news_description":"The reported detention of former Deputy Military Chief General Peter Elwelu has intensified concern about due process and succession politics in Uganda.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50121,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50119\/revisions\/50121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=50119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}