By KT Reporter
Defence lawyers and close relatives are anxious and scared that journalist Dean Lubowa Saava may end up languishing in Luzira prison on remand for longer than was originally expected.
The magistrate hearing his illegal broadcasting case without having the broadcasting license, remanded him last week after declining to immediately hear his bail application.
He was send to Luzira up to 14th October when his bail application will be heard. The magistrate can hear the application and send him back to Luzira while promising to give his ruling on his bail application weeks later on. Judges normaly give themselves two weeks for that or even more as they have been doing in Besigye’s case.
However, the magistrate handling Lubowa’s case is going on leave and this has created panic among Saava’s lawyers and family members because they can’t imagine their client having to wait up to October 28th when the magistrate will be returning to work after being away for at least two weeks.
Lubowa Saava’s next of kin are even more scared and are putting pressure and praying that he humbles himself and apologize to his accusers so that the charges are withdrawn; otherwise he is risking up to 8 years in Luzira prison in case he gets convicted over the offence of illegal broadcasting and that of disobeying lawful orders.
Even when Lubowa is in Luzira, his TV10 mazima which the regulator says is illegal and shouldn’t be on air broadcacting anything unless it gets properly licensed, has continued operating and posting content based on the interviews the detained journalist conducted with Kampala arcades owner Festo Kasajja of down town Kampala. This can make his defence case even harder to defend. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
