John, William and Samuel were jointly accused of stealing a car, arrested and taken to the local police station in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
However, once arrested, the police lost interest in their case and John, William and Samuel spent two months in the cramped and often unhygienic police cells (the law provides that suspects should be taken to court within 24 hours of arrest).
Through the intervention of UCLF paralegals, who visit the local police stations on a regular basis, the case of John, William and Samuel was followed up with the investigating authorities. The men were finally released on police bond to await trial.
Moses
After a falling out with his wife, Moses was accused by her of the defilement of their daughter.
Moses' wife reported him to the police and he was arrested and detained in custody. Moses maintains that he had no sexual relationship with his daughter, but that his wife had accused him of this crime because of their quarrelling. UCLF first met Moses in March 2007 when (then aged 80) he had been in prison for over five years waiting for a trial.
Many prisoners, like Moses, are held on remand for significant amounts of time awaiting trial. Their lives are on hold and they exist in a sort of limbo.
UCLF applied pressure to the court authorities and managed to secure a trial date for Moses, along with a number of its other clients, in October 2007. At his trial the prosecution admitted that there was not enough evidence to continue with the prosecution and Moses was freed.
You can read more about the work of UCLF in the article by BMS' Caroline Sanderson in issue 1/08 of Mission Catalyst, which focuses on justice.