Kampala – A Ugandan judge on Wednesday rejected a demand to release opposition leader Kizza Besigye from jail due to ill health, sending the visibly frail government critic back to prison.
Besigye, 68, is a leading opponent of President Yoweri Museveni – in power for nearly 40 years – whom he has unsuccessfully challenged in four elections.
He was abducted in Kenya in November and faces the death penalty on treason charges in a court martial that his wife, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima, has called a “sham”.
He walked slowly into a civil court in Kampala where his lawyers made a case for him to be released so that he could receive medical care outside prison.
Judge Douglas Karekona Singiza remanded him in custody along with two other defendants.
He promised a further ruling on Besigye’s demand would be made by February 25.
“If a prisoner is sick, I can’t continue with him. He might faint,” Singiza said.
Besigye was briefly hospitalised on Sunday after his health deteriorated following a hunger strike.
His supporters flocked to the court on Wednesday, chanting and waving signs demanding his release while watched by a heavy deployment of police and soldiers.
Byanyima said she was “devastated but not surprised” by the ruling, which she blamed on Museveni.
“Shame on the cadre (pro-government) judge for sending back my husband to jail when his health is deteriorating fast,” she said.
Besigye’s lawyer Erias Lukwago told reporters his team would “retreat” and “wait for the court’s decision”.
The United Nations and several rights organisations have voiced concern about the suppression of the opposition in Uganda in the run-up to presidential elections in 2026.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@zero_mind8
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