A court in Uganda told Interpol to arrest Isaac Ssemakadde, who leads the Uganda Law Society. He ran away after a judge sent him to jail for two years last month because he disrespected the court. Chief magistrate Ronald Kayizzi signed papers Wednesday ordering police around the world to find Ssemakadde. The judge wants him back to face charges that he insulted Jane Frances Abodo, who runs public prosecutions in Uganda.
The judge asked lawyers Tony Tumukunde and Joshua Byamazima if the police had caught Ssemakadde yet. These lawyers told the court he had escaped and nobody found him. They said they gave arrest papers to his lawyers at GEM Advocates after the first warrant came out. They even sent papers to the head of police, but Ssemakadde ignored them and never showed up for court.
Interpol must bring Ssemakadde to the Kampala court by April 16, 2025. The first arrest order came on February 24, 2025, when he missed court three times. His lawyer, Derrick Bazekuketta, claimed Ssemakadde attended through his legal team. The court rejected this idea because criminal cases need the actual person present, not just their lawyers.
Tumukunde and Byamazima started this case against Ssemakadde on November 22, 2024. They say he used bad words about Jane Frances Abodo during a talk at Katonga Road in Kampala on November 18, 2024. They gave the court a flash drive with video proof of what he said. Ssemakadde tried to fight these charges in a higher court but his case faces delays.
His legal team sent a letter Tuesday to the High Court criminal division. The letter complained that lower courts kept going forward despite his challenges in higher courts. His lawyers asked for an order to pause everything. They wrote that the court's actions hurt his freedom and right to fair treatment. The judge Musa Ssekaana already ordered Ssemakadde arrested on February 14, 2025.
Ssekaana found Ssemakadde guilty because he criticized the judge on social media platform X. Ssemakadde had posted about a decision blocking a meeting where lawyers would elect new representatives. Ssekaana had past problems with Ssemakadde from 2022 when the lawyer used rude language against him. Many people criticized Ssekaana for acting as both judge and victim in this case.
The judge asked lawyers Tony Tumukunde and Joshua Byamazima if the police had caught Ssemakadde yet. These lawyers told the court he had escaped and nobody found him. They said they gave arrest papers to his lawyers at GEM Advocates after the first warrant came out. They even sent papers to the head of police, but Ssemakadde ignored them and never showed up for court.
Interpol must bring Ssemakadde to the Kampala court by April 16, 2025. The first arrest order came on February 24, 2025, when he missed court three times. His lawyer, Derrick Bazekuketta, claimed Ssemakadde attended through his legal team. The court rejected this idea because criminal cases need the actual person present, not just their lawyers.
Tumukunde and Byamazima started this case against Ssemakadde on November 22, 2024. They say he used bad words about Jane Frances Abodo during a talk at Katonga Road in Kampala on November 18, 2024. They gave the court a flash drive with video proof of what he said. Ssemakadde tried to fight these charges in a higher court but his case faces delays.
His legal team sent a letter Tuesday to the High Court criminal division. The letter complained that lower courts kept going forward despite his challenges in higher courts. His lawyers asked for an order to pause everything. They wrote that the court's actions hurt his freedom and right to fair treatment. The judge Musa Ssekaana already ordered Ssemakadde arrested on February 14, 2025.
Ssekaana found Ssemakadde guilty because he criticized the judge on social media platform X. Ssemakadde had posted about a decision blocking a meeting where lawyers would elect new representatives. Ssekaana had past problems with Ssemakadde from 2022 when the lawyer used rude language against him. Many people criticized Ssekaana for acting as both judge and victim in this case.
