Turkish envoy stresses respect for Uganda's internal affairs

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – Turkey does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and will not interfere with Uganda's, said the country's ambassador to Uganda on Friday.

“Turkey does not condone crimes but accords full rights to any person arrested within Turkey, and so will be the case for the said Ugandan,” added Kerem Alp, referring to a Ugandan recently arrested at the country’s embassy in Ankara, Turkey.

Fred Lumbuye, a critic of the Ugandan government, is accused of starting false rumors that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has died.

Alp made the remarks while meeting Muwada Nkunyingi, MP for Kyadondo County East, who presented a petition on the safety of Lumbuye, a supporter of the opposition party National Unity Platform (NUP).

Muwada said Turkey has stood for the oppressed on many fronts, claiming that it would be “risky” to hand over Lumbuye to Ugandan authorities, citing what he called the country’s bad human rights record.

“Uganda has the death penalty, and it would be in breach of international law to honor any request by Uganda to risk a deportation of Lumbuye,” he said.

Zahara Luyirika, speaker for the Kampala Capital Authority, responsible for the running of Uganda’s capital, told Anadolu Agency that Lumbuye should not be repatriated to Uganda because, he claimed, it is a state that tortures its citizens.

The arrest in Turkey comes one month after Museveni directed security operatives to track down Ugandans who allegedly use social media to spread fake news.