The International Crimes Division Court has barred the media and members of the general public from attending proceedings in the case where 14 people are accused of plotting the murder of Muslim clerics across the country.
This after lead judge Ezekiel Muhanguzi granted prosecution’s request to have its 4 next witnesses testify in camera as a measure of their protection.
On Monday this week, state attorney Lino Anguzu informed court that the 4 witnesses refused to give testimony in open court for fear of their lives due to numerous threats directed to them .
It’s against this background that justice Muhanguzi ordered the press and the General public who follow the proceedings through a visual-audio link in the courtroom next door to keep away from court starting tomorrow until the 4 witnesses conclude their testimonies.
The court also ordered that the 4 mentioned witnesses be referred to by pseduo alphabetical names other than their original names.
The testimony of these 4 witneses will now bring the number of prosecution witnesses who have sofar testified in this case to 31.
Prosecution States that the 14 accused including the leader of the tabliq section in the country Shiekh Yunus Kamoga and his brother Shiekh Multabah Bukenya unlawfully and with malice afore thought gunned down fellow shiekhs; Mustafa Bahiga and Hassan Ibrahim Kirya between 2014 and 2015 respectively.
They also face charges of terrorism and attempted murder of shiekh Haruna Jjemba.