New Vision news reporter, Charles Etukuri who has been missing for one week has been released.
This development was revealed by the Vision Group Chief Executive Officer, Robert Kabushenga.
He tweeted on Monday that; “Thank you all for your prayers. God has answered them. Our New Vision reporter Charles Etukuri has been released. He has just been dropped off outside our office”.
Etukuri’s release follows several calls by rights campaigners, the media fraternity and Members of Parliament on security agencies to find or produce the reporter who has been missing for weeks.
The latest of such calls was an order by court on Monday to ISO to have Charles Etutkuri be produced.
The court order followed an application filed by New Vision seeking the release or production in court of their journalist. In the application, the newspaper through its legal counsel, Tony Kirabira argued that it has knowledge that Etukuri is under the custody of Internal Security Organization (ISO).
It is upon this background that Justice Lydia Mugambe has Monday ruled; “Habeas corpus orders are issued against the second respondent the Director General ISO and the Minister of security Lt. Gen Henry Tumukunde”.
New Vision said that Etukuri’s detention was illegal and violated his individual rights provided in the constitution.
Etukuri was reportedly abducted on Tuesday last week by armed men in military uniform who picked him up outside the Vision Group head offices in Kampala.
The Minister of State for Internal affairs, Obiga Kania told Parliament that a “semblace of military uniform is not uniform.”
The journalist is part of New Vision’s investigations desk with special interest in crime stories.
It is suspected that his ‘abduction’ was related to a story he had written days ago.
The story reported about the death of a foreign ‘investor’ from Finland named Thomas Juha Petteri, 42, who died at Pearl of Africa Hotel in Kampala days ago.
According to the story written by Etukuri, Petteri was allegedly killed by security operatives working with ISO.
However, the ISO Chief, Col (Rtd) Frank Bagyenda Kaka dismissed the allegations as trash.