the Victim would have to meet all the costs involved, which would be very
considerable and beyond his means. If a commission was not ordered, the
Victim would only be able to submit evidence by deposition before a
notary public in Rwanda under Order 28, Rule 4 of the Ugandan Civil
Procedure Rules. It is further argued that, such evidence would have little
probative value as it would not be tested by cross-examination and would
therefore greatly prejudice the Victim's case. Accordingly, the
Complainants submit that in these circumstances, the Ugandan High Court
would not constitute an available and effective remedy for the Victim to
pursue.
76. The Complainants also argue that, while the Victim could theoretically
make a complaint to the UHRC, without his presence in Uganda, the
UHRC would not constitute an effective temedy. According to the
Complainants, the UHRC would qe unable t9 ~arry out its investigations
into the Complaint unless it traveled' to Rwanda, mosf probably on a
number of occasions, to interv,:ie'vV the Victim.and other potential witnesses.
The Complainants state that in light of the UHRC' s limited resources, this
is unlikely to be a possi?ility. 8
to
77. The Complainants aver that according
the norms set forth under the
Ugandan Constitution (Uganda Human :Rights Commission Procedure
Rules) S.I. Constitution 8, Rule 17, a Complainant is requested to be
present, once the case reaches the Tribunal stage, otherwise the hearing
may proceed in his or her absence. ,Taking into consideration the abovementioned provisions, the Complainants state that the Victim would not be
able to be present in Uganda. Accordingly, the Victim could therefore only
provide evi4ence by deposition which would greatly prejudice his case as
no opportunity for cross-examination would exist and he would be unable
to app~ar in ·person to demonstrate to the Tribunal Commissioners the
treatment
receiy,ed and the consequences thereof. In addition, the
Complainants note that at the time, the UHRC was not fully functional
from 21 Noyernber 2008, when the term of office of its Commissioners
expired and therefore was not, until an undetermined date, in a position to
hold Tribunal hearings. 9
he
See, Uganda Human Rights Commission, supra note 2, Annex 3 at 124 (setting out the
"inadequate funding. The Commission is not facilitated sufficiently to carry out its constitutional
mandate").
9 See Uganda Human Rights Commission, Press Release, Public
http:/ /www. uhrc.u g/press release.php?item 9.
8