WUNRN
http://news.yahoo.com/top-ugandan-prosecutor-2010-bombing-trial-shot-dead-193131774.html
UGANDA – WOMAN LEAD PROSECUTOR MURDERED – TRIAL ON
AL-SHEBAB BOMBINGS NOW POSTPONED
AFP - By Amy Fallon – March 30, 2015
Kampala
(AFP) - A key trial in Uganda of 13 men accused of taking part in Al-Shebab
bombings that killed 76 people in 2010 was postponed Tuesday after the top
prosecutor was shot dead.
Police
on Tuesday vowed to catch the killers of Joan Kagezi, acting assistant director
of public prosecution, who was murdered by men on a motorbike as she drove home
with three of her children on Monday evening.
"Her
death is a big loss to the country," Uganda's police chief Kale Kayihura
said in a statement.
She
was shot twice through the window of her car after stopping to buy fruit on the
side of the road in a suburb of the capital Kampala.
"We
call upon any member of the public who may have any information relating to the
murder of Joan to give it to the police," Kayihura added.
"The
murder of Joan Kagezi should only serve to increase our resolve to hunt down
and bring to justice all those elements bent on disturbing the security and
development of our country."
Kagezi
had been due to appear in court Tuesday at the trial of 13 men accused of
participating in the July 2010 bombings in Kampala which were claimed by
Somalia's Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab militants.
"The
criminals riding on a motorcycle... stopped next to the parked vehicle and shot
her twice in the neck and shoulder, through the widow on the driver's side,"
Kayihura added.
"Her
three children who were with her escaped unhurt."
Lawyers
in court Tuesday were visibly emotional, saying they would meet later with
judges to decide what will happen next with the trial, defence lawyer Yunusu
Kasirivu said.
The
suspects did not appear in court.
Kasirivu
told reporters he was "very upset" at Kagezi's death, saying she had
been a close colleague for several years.
"She
was a wonderful lady -- very, very wonderful -- hardworking, polite," he
said.
"When
you clash in court she will smile back, when you want to shut her down...she
will answer you politely."
Kagezi,
lead prosecutor in the bombing trial, also led the prosecution's anti-terrorism
and war crimes section.
Uganda
and Kenya have contributed thousands of soldiers to the African Union Mission
in Somalia (AMISOM), which was established to fight the Islamists and protect
the internationally recognised government.
Al-Shebab
continues to target countries in the region.
The
2010 suicide bombings targeted football fans watching the World Cup final at a
restaurant and a rugby club in Kampala.
The
trial of the accused -- -- seven Kenyans, five Ugandans and one Tanzanian --
began earlier this month at Uganda's High Court on a range of charges including
terrorism, murder and membership of a terrorist organisation.