By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
Maverick now turned Public Interest Litigation lawyer, Joshua Okello has put the European Court of Human Rights Council on notice for delaying to hear a case he filed protesting the UK, US sanctions against Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among.
Speaking to this reporter on Monday, 23rd September, 2024, Okello says the Court has since the time he filed his suit failed to fix a date for its hearing over reasons he can’t appreciate.
The maverick Barrister has formally lodged his complaint in a letter dated 23rd, September, 2024 and addressed to the Registrar, European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France.
“I am writing to you to inform you of a delay in the progress of my case which am handling under public interest litigation on behalf of Uganda Speaker of Parliament, Honorable Anita Annet Among,” reads in part Okello’s protest letter.
Okello says that despite his numerous efforts, unforeseen circumstances have arisen that he does not understand because the Registrar has paid a deaf ear to him since the time he filed his suit.
“This would in essence be dishonesty on your part. I believe that as a recognized Court of Human Rights, your word ought to be your bond and as such dishonesty would amount to misconduct which is likely to bring hatred, or discrimination between the Whites and Blacks,” he writes.
Okello now wants the Court to fix a hearing date of his application soon arguing that justice delayed is justice denied and that neglected justice is poisonous to society.
The letter is copied to President Museveni and Speaker Anita Among.
Okello escalated his legal campaign against the United Kingdom government to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) by filing his complaint on Tuesday, 4th June, 2024.
This decision followed several delays in the High Court Civil Division in Kampala, where Okello initially lodged a lawsuit contesting the sanctions enforced on Speaker Anita Among on the 7th May, 2024.
Since initiating the case in Kampala, Okello says he encountered continual postponements, with court officials attributing the backlog of cases from 2023.
