20100813
africanews

About 54 Uganda nationals are behind bars in China with 20 on death row, stated Uganda ambassador to China Charles Madibo Wagidoso on tour in China. "It is unfortunate but we have more than 50 Ugandans detained in various prisons in China and counting because just last week another one was arrested."

Wagidoso: “Twenty have been sentenced to death and the rest have sentences ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment.”

He also spoke of a narcotics trafficking racket between drug lords in Kampala, Dubai and Thailand, where unemployed Ugandans are recruited into smuggling the drugs with baits of quick cash.

“They are innocent vulnerable young people,” he said. “All of them below 40 years. The convicts are held at prisons in Beijing, China’s capital, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, a city frequently thronged by African businessmen.”

Wagidoso said he was still engaging Beijing for possible extradition. “We are negotiating to see if they can be allowed to be extradited to serve their sentences in Uganda so that they can have access to their relatives and friends so that they can be a little more comfortable.”

The envoy admitted of a general obstacle: “There is also the dilemma for the Chinese government; if they do it for one country, will they do it for all the other countries?”

“Although we are getting a good response from the Chinese government but that is now subject to signing of a consular treaty and extradition treaty. When that happens, then we will be able to firmly move forward,” he added.