JUSTICE TRENDS JUSTICE TRENDS Nr. 1 | June 2017 | Page 178
HUMAN RIGHTS / DERECHOS HUMANOS
with a Law degree later on. And I used my legal knowledge to
help my fellow inmates in prison through the legal aid clinic that
I set up in prison. So, many of them access Justice through that
legal aid clinic which was free of charge, of course. And that was
the condition in the prison and I was really helping them in their
rehabilitation so, I realized that honestly, it was worth it to take
my degree in Common Law.
pena tomar mi título en Derecho Común.
JT: What has enabled your release before the end of your sentence
and what is your situation before the Justice system of Uganda?
SK: I am released, totally. I’m free. I don’t have anything like I’m on
probation or anything... I’m free. I was released because of my good
conduct in prison, and because of the way I have reformed, because
I was helping prison authorities to rehabilitate other prisoners, and
because of the way I was involved in different activities in prison.
Even the outside society would really see that Susan Kigula, though
she’s still in prison, she’s doing a great work in cutting crime. In
Uganda Prison Service if you’re well behaved, and if you have a
good conduct report and they are really convinced that you’re ready
to join the society, that you are not a threat to society – instead, that
you get to benefit society – they reduce the time you’re supposed to
be in prison, because they realize that society needs you to go out
there and help transform people’s lives. So this is how I was released.
JT: What have you been up to since your release and what have
you been involved in, as far as human rights and the abolition
of the death penalty are concerned?
SK: I was released a year ago, and I have been attending a number
of events: I attended the 6th World Congress Against the Death
Penalty, in Norway and I have been invited as a guest speaker at
that conference that took place in June last year. And then I was
invited to Sweden, to speak on behalf of the children of prisoners.
And I was invited as well to go to France, to commemorate the
50th anniversary since the abolition of the death penalty of that
country, and also to celebrate the World Day against the Death
Penalty – that was in October last year. Then I was in Romania as a
speaker – I was invited by ICPA – I was there to represent African
Prisons Project, and then I was invited to Italy, by the Community
of Sant’Egidio, to attend and participate in the activities of the
International Conference “No Justice Without Life – The Death
Penalty in a Globalized World” – that is a campaign against the death
penalty as well. And I visited so many universities – in France, as
well, I spoke to the students in universities on how to make better
choices in life, I helped them to actually embrace and appreciate
what they have, and I also tried to help them realize that even if
their countries don’t have the death penalty, they should not just
think that it’s OK, because anytime anyone can come up and try to
convince the nation to re–instate it.
Recently I was invited to a high–level panel on the death penalty in
Geneva, Switzerland: I was speaking to the United Nations Human
Rights Council – that was this last February to March. I’ve attended
many different conferences: I was in Gambia to speak in the human
rights conference and I am always involved and engaged in activities
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Uganda Prison / Prisión de Uganda
JT: ¿Qué ha permitido su liberación antes del final de su condena
y cuál es su situación ante el sistema judicial de Ugand