'Amin shot prelate after night of wild violence’

Press, 23 February 1977, Page 8

'Amin shot prelate after night of wild violence’

NZPA Dar-es-Salaam President Idi Amin of Uganda personally shot and killed the Anglican \rchbishop of Uganda (the Most Rev. Janani Luxvuni), the Government-ouned I anzanian newspaper the “Daily News” says.

! The newspaper said in a report by a special corresj pondent from Kampala that 'the archbishop’s body and [the bodies of two GovernIment Ministers were dumped [into Lake Victoria. I Uganda has said that the I three died in a car accident! [last Wednesday, hours after' [being accused publicly of[ Iconspiring to overthrow' (President Amin’s military 'Government. The deaths (prompted international cries! lof outrage and charges from; [Church and political leaders! ‘that the three had been mur-[ Idered. [ The “Daily News” said! [that Archbishop Luwum was: [taken to a private lodge! lafter his arrest for a meet-j

t ing with President Amin.; - After repeatedly refusing to[; t sign a prepared confession! 1 that he had plotted to topple i ■ President Amin, the archI bishop was stripped and: I held on the floor, the paper: ; said. t| Two soldiers in turn whip-: -'ped the archbishop. And' fl while they did so the arch-J ■[bishop uttered prayers but! [the prayers seemed to have • >[incensed President Amin for ;[he angrily shouted wildly in ' rextremely obscene languages >[and struck the archbishop,! -[the paper said. | Shortly after 8 p.m., the[< II “Daily News” said, there!' ; I were very bizzare, sacri-; ulegious, and obscene activi-l ■[ties during which President! .Amin pulled out his pistol'• and shot the archbishop:; twice on the left side of the. chest. The paper said that Arch-; bishop Luwum died instantly); and the next morning hisj; body, and the bodies of the 1 two murdered Cabinet Min-j isters, were dumped into! (Lake Victoria. : i In Uganda, President!' [Amin, reporting cairn in his ] [country after an attempted' [coup by armed infiltrators.il

icharged that the Archbishop [of Canterbury was involved [in a “sinister plan to cause [chaos” in Uganda. He named the primate of I [the Anglican Church (Dr) : Donald Coggan) as a con-[ [spirator along with Canon (Burgess Carr, secretary of! 'the AH-Africa Conference of: [Churches. ! Canon Carr said in Nair-; obi last week that the death; ;of Archbishop Luwun was' [“murder by the Ugandan se-; (curity forces.” In a cable to the Organisa-i [tion of African Unity, Presi-[ [dent Amin said both of the' 'Church leaders had listened |to rumours and lies about (Uganda. I “It seems that both of them [ (were involved in the sinister [plan to cause chaos ini ,Uganda.” the official Uganda! [Radio quoted him as saying.! (“That is why they were dis-1 appointed when their plan (failed and are presently at: the centre of anti-Uganda pro-' paganda.”, In London. Dr Coggan has 'said that President Amin; (should not be allowed to enter Britain. ' Members of Parliament! 'have urged the British Gow I

t'ernment to refuse President I Amin entry to Britain should :ihe seek to attend the Com;monwealth summit in London (in June. • Dr Coggan said: “My per■isonal feelings are that he should not be allowed in. The ’(Church throughout the world “is indignant at the atrocities Which have been happening recently and in the past. We i must bring all possible pressure to bear to condemn the ■ atrocities.” i In Toronto, the Moderator ■ [of the World Council of [Churches (Archbishop I . W. (Scott) speaking after a memorial service for the archbishop has called for a United Nations investigation into the [state of affairs in Uganda. Archbishop Scott said that [the Anglican Church had tried [to claim Dr I.uwurn’s bodv [after he was killed, but the I Ugandan Government had refused the request. Telephone and telex links between Nairobi and Kampala [have been restored todav after a mysterious 24-hour break by Ugandan authorities. An operator at the Nairobi exchange said that no explanation was given hv Kampala for suddenly suspending the service on Saturday night.