Uganda

Prosecution of penis chopper peters out

Article published on the 2009-01-08 Latest update 2009-01-09 11:18 TU

Uganda.
(Photo: Flickr - rabble)

A Ugandan woman has been acquitted of causing bodily harm after cutting off a man’s penis in June last year.

Angelina Kyomugisha cut off Geoffrey Mugarura’s penis. She alleges that she found him raping her young daughter.

Kyomugisha was weeding her banana plantation when she heard her daughter’s cries for help.

When she saw what was happening, she pounced on Mugarura and chopped off his member, before flinging it into the bushes.

“She knew what was right for her daughter,” said Solome Nakawesi from the Akina Mama Wa Africa women’s rights organisation.

Mugarura was treated for his injuries, but a dog had run off with the severed part, so doctors were unable to reattach it.

The police later charged Kyomugisha with causing bodily harm, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

But the court overturned the charges and now the Ugandan Association of Women Lawyers is seeking to file charges against Mugarura over the alleged rape.

The case highlights the problems for rape victims in Uganda.

“We still have a community where the rights of women are still looked at as being a privilege,” Nakawesi told RFI.