The trial of 13 men accused of taking part in the 2010 Shebab
bombings, which killed 76 people in Uganda's capital Kampala, resumed on Monday
without the lead prosecutor, who was murdered in March.
Joan Kagezi, Uganda's acting assistant director of public
prosecution, was killed by men on a motorbike in front of three of her
children. Police are still hunting for the killers and have made several
arrests.
The trial of the accused -- seven Kenyans, five Ugandans and one
Tanzanian -- had begun earlier in March at Uganda's High Court, but was
postponed after the murder. They are facing a range of charges including
terrorism, murder and membership of a terrorist organisation.
The July 2010 suicide bombings claimed by Somalia's
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab targeted football fans watching the World Cup final
between the Netherlands and Spain at a restaurant and a rugby club in Kampala,
and were the region's worst attacks in more than a decade.
The suspects filled nearly two rows of seats on Monday in the
packed courtroom, where there was standing space only and tight security. Media
reports said bodyguards have now been assigned to all lawyers working on the
case.
Justice Mike Chibita, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), told
Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo that the prosecution had "deemed it
important" to come to court to introduce his new team, making mention of
"our fallen colleague".
He said they owed it to "this court and the nation at
large" to assure them that "justice is done". Defence lawyer
Caleb Alaka said his team had the "same sentiment about the loss of our
colleague".
"It (Kagezi's murder) was a terrible thing, not only for the
DPP, but also for us in defence, because we were working closely together,"
he said. "We call upon the powers that be to make sure that the
perpetrators are brought to justice." Read more
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