The Minister of State for Children and Youth Affairs, Mr. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has appealed to President Museveni to exercise his prerogative of mercy and pardon 16 National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters who were sentenced to three months and 22 days by the Court-Martial.
Speaking to journalists at Parliament after their sentence, Balaam revealed that he sent a letter to the president requesting their pardon after they pleaded guilty to the charges against them. The 16 individuals were sentenced to a total of three years and eight months, taking into account the time they had already spent in remand and on trial.
“I want to thank the Court-Martial for not giving the young people a bigger sentence, considering that they pleaded guilty,” he said.
“My appeal to the president, I request him to consider the letter that I forwarded to him today to pardon these young people. They should not serve the three months,” he added.
The Court-Martial, presided over by Brigadier General Freeman Mugabe, convicted the group of unlawfully possessing explosive devices.
