By Tim Cocks KAMPALA, March 9 (Reuters) - Ugandan judges will end a week-long strike over the seizure of opposition supporters from the High Court by security men after President Yoweri Museveni expressed regret over the incident. After a meeting on Friday, the judges agreed not to extend their action and said they would return to work on Monday. "We have called it off. The president wrote to us yesterday addressing most of the concerns and we were satisfied," judicial spokesman Elias Kisawuzi told Reuters. "It was not directly an apology, but he indicated that (the incident) was regrettable." The judges went on strike on Monday protesting at what they called an unlawful invasion of court premises last week by gun-toting security men who re-arrested bailed treason suspects. Analysts said the fallout from the judges' strike could let Uganda's judiciary claw back some of its independence. "It is quite positive. It checks the culture of impunity in the executive and military. It will make them think twice," political scientist Paul Omach told Reuters. Uganda's lawyers have vowed to go on strike themselves for three days beginning on Monday, after the judges resume work. The six men seized were accused of being members of the People's Redemption Army (PRA) rebels and charged with plotting a rebellion alongside main opposition leader Kizza Besigye. The officers damaged High Court property and beat a lawyer unconscious during the raid -- dismaying international aid donors and triggering outrage in the media and a street demonstration in Kampala. The assault revived bitter memories of a similar incident in 2005, when security agents clad in black tried but failed to re-arrest several suspects given bail in the same treason trial. Even ruling party spokesman Ofwono Opondo -- normally a fountain of fiery pro-government rhetoric -- wrote in Friday's state-owned New Vision newspaper that "the arrest of suspects by police inside court chambers was most unprofessional". Stung by the criticism, the government sought to limit the damage. President Museveni cut short a trip to Libya this week to meet his chief justice and defend the security forces. In a full-page statement published by local press on Friday, Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said the government regretted the incident at the High Court. "It was not the intention to disrespect the court nor defy court orders," Rugunda wrote.
