Recipient of International Writer of Courage Prize Allegedly Tortured in Uganda

A Ugandan satirical novelist and critic of President Yoweri Museveni and his son has been tortured in captivity, his lawyer has said. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who won the PEN Pinter Prize International Writer of Courage award last year, was arrested on December 28 and has yet to be charged in any court. On Wednesday, lawyer Eron Kiiza said that Rukirabashaija displayed signs of being tortured when security personnel brought him to his house on Monday to search for evidence. Rukirabashaija has written several books, including his famous The Greedy Barbarian, a satirical novel about a fictional country that tackles themes of corruption and greed. The novel is widely seen in Uganda to mirror the political life of Museveni, 77, and his government. He has been critical of Museveni, who has ruled the country since 1986, and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a military general widely seen as being prepared to take over the presidency from his father. Days before his arrest, Rukirabashaija called Kainerugaba in a tweet “pigheaded” and “plump” and denounced the purported plans to have him succeed his father.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA