Rwandan Pascal Manirakiza found 'tortured' in Uganda
A Rwandan refugee who went missing in Uganda last week has been found tortured and unconscious, a Ugandan official has said.
Pascal Manirakiza's abductors had "dumped" him at a cemetery near the capital, Kampala, the official said.
Mr Manirakiza was one of four Rwandans who told the BBC last month that they were seeking asylum in Uganda.
They accused the Rwandan army of forcibly recruiting them to fight in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The army dismissed their claim, saying they must have made up their stories to get asylum.
Last week, the UN called for an investigation into the "disappearance or abduction" of three Rwandan refugees from Uganda.
Rwanda denied any involvement in the abductions.
" He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions " - Thomas Jefferson
And that is the situation Rwanda finds itself in. It is standard Rwandan practice to recruit forcibly kidnap for their proxy M23.
'Extradition blocked'
Police found Mr Manirakiza, 23, in an unconscious state after he was "dumped" at a cemetery by unknown men, said Douglas Asiimwe, the senior protection officer in the Ugandan prime minister's office.
"He was full of blood... He has torture marks in the back," Mr Asiimwe said.
Mr Manirakiza was being guarded at a hospital where he was receiving treatment, he said.
It was hoped that he would regain consciousness in a few days and that he would be able to shed light on who had abducted him, Mr Asiimwe said.
Last week, another of the refugees about whom the UN had expressed concern, Joel Mutabazi, an ex-Rwandan presidential guard, was placed under the protection of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's office.
He had earlier been arrested by Ugandan police on a warrant issued by Rwanda.
The UN strongly protested against his arrest and demanded that Uganda guarantee the safety of refugees.
Uganda's government then rejected a request by Rwanda to extradite him.
One of the refugees is still missing, Mr Asiimwe said.
Mr Manirakiza last month told the BBC he had been a student in Rwanda when he was forcibly recruited to fight with the M23 rebel group in DR Congo.
He managed to flee and sought asylum in Uganda, he said.
So he was a student who according to Rwanda decided to make up a story and flee Rwanda for the life of hell that refugees experience. That doesn't add up, or as Jefferson reminds us lies become habitual.
The UN and DR Congo government have repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the M23, an allegation it denies.
In 2010, Rwanda's ex-army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa fled to South Africa.
He accused Rwanda of a failed attempt to assassinate him later that year, after he was shot and wounded in Johannesburg. Rwanda denied any involvement.
The shooting strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and Rwanda.
" Never believe anything until it has been officially denied. " - Claud Cockburn
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