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Justice in Uganda: A Study in Contrast +FRAME ONE: The Rights of a Killer +The Incident: Christopher Okello Onyun (in photo) attacks a nursery school, stabbing four innocent children to death. ≠The Response: As an angry mob gathers to seek immediate retribution, the police intervene to save him from being lynched. Good. -The Outcome: Despite the horrific nature of his crimes, Onyun is granted his constitutional right to a fair trial in a civilian court, as he should. +FRAME TWO: The Fate of the Peaceful +The Incident: Opposition supporters stage a pro-democracy protest. They carry nothing but placards; not a single stone is thrown, and no one is physically harmed. ≠The Response: These peaceful citizens are set upon by the very same police force that protected a child killer. They are subjected to brutal beatings at the scene. -The Outcome: The "justice" system takes a darker turn for the protestors: •The Disappeared: Some vanish entirely, never to be seen again. •The Tortured: Others reappear weeks later, bearing the physical scars of severe torture. •The Jurisdiction: Unlike the child killer, these peaceful civilians are denied a civilian trial. Instead, they are processed through a Military Court. ¡The Verdict Demanding democracy is treated as a greater threat to the social order than the murder of children. Good luck making sense of it.

Truth.