Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Robert Kyagulanyi has retained the services of the renowned international law firm, Amsterdam & Partners LLP, ahead of his appearance before the General Court Martial on Thursday, August 23.
According to a statement released by the UK-based firm, Robert Amsterdam, the lead counsel, and founding partner will arrive at Entebbe International Airport at 2 pm today.
“Mr. Kyagulanyi’s arrest was not only a politically motivated act of repression but furthermore he has since been subjected to inhuman and horrific acts of torture by the Ugandan security services from which it is possible he may never recover,” Amsterdam said.
“When a state behaves with this level of impunity and violence, there are few statements or resolutions that will stop them from the murder of an innocent opponent like Bobi Wine. That’s why we need to hit these officials in their wallets with a Magnitsky-style sanctions schedule as they need to understand the consequences of this attack on human rights.”
The Global Magnitsky Act was passed by the US Congress with broad bi-partisan support in 2016 in honor of the murdered Russian whistleblower-lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
The Act empowers the executive branch to impose visa bans and targeted sanctions on individuals anywhere in the world responsible for committing human rights violations or acts of significant corruption.
Robert Amsterdam is an international lawyer with 35 years experience working on high-profile cases in emerging markets. His law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP, with offices in London and Washington DC.
He has also represented high profile political prisoners, such as the former head of the Yukos oil company in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was successfully released into freedom.