Political freedoms urged by Ugandan religious leaders

Religious leaders within Uganda have called on the government to extend political freedoms to prevent bloodshed. Pastor Timothy Sekyanzi of the Church of Jesus Christ in Kampala, Uganda, said to the The Monitor, "why should you torture people because they are holding a rally to speak out their mind, this is very bad and punishable before the almighty God."As a religious leader, he condemned torture and harassments that the government often perpetrated against those who talked politics. "It is their God given right,"the pastor said. "The government [should] stop beating up people who meet to talk politics."

Pastor Sekyanzi further preached about peace and said that it was essential that the government stop treating people like snakes. "One can never convince me that peace is prevailing here when a certain section of people are beaten like snakes, each time they come up to talk about a particular subject," he said. He urged the government to allow politicians especially those of other parties to express their views and leave the general public to judge them, he said to The Monitor.

He condemned those who had refused to denounce government policy and torture especially in light of Jesus Christ’s teachings. He urged police chief Edward Katumba Wamala to repent before God over the beatings that his subordinates committed against innocent Ugandans. “Edward as a Christian knows very well that what his men are doing is ungodly and should there for repent," pastor said. “These cowards are forgetting that they will also be punished along with those committing these crimes," he added.

He said that “more prayers are still needed for genuine and ever lasting peace to prevail in this country.?“We as born again Christians and other believers elsewhere still have a very big job of praying for peace in this country," pastor said. The host thanked God for keeping him and his people alive.