Besigye Faces New Charge with Death Penalty Threat
On Monday, Ugandan military prosecutors added a new charge of “treachery,” which carries the death penalty, to the list of accusations against Kiiza Besigye, a well-known opposition leader.
Besigye, a longtime critic of President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades, was arrested in Kenya in November. He was returned to Uganda and charged in a military court with illegal firearm possession and threatening national security, despite being a civilian.
Since his arrest, Besigye has been held in Kampala alongside his aide, Obeid Lutale, who was also detained and charged. Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, who heads UNAIDS, a U.N. agency, claims the charges are politically motivated. Besigye’s legal team has dismissed the accusations as baseless.
At a court hearing on Monday, the military prosecutor presented the new treachery charge. According to a document reviewed by Reuters, Besigye and Lutale allegedly had knowledge of a plot to harm Uganda’s national security but deliberately failed to report it to authorities.
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Besigye’s lawyers objected to the additional charge, arguing it breached proper trial procedures. They also raised concerns over the detention of Eron Kiiza, a human rights lawyer and member of Besigye’s defense team. Kiiza was sentenced to nine months in prison earlier this month for alleged contempt of court after a disagreement with court staff.
Amnesty International, a London-based rights organization, condemned Kiiza’s imprisonment as unjust and called for his release.
Besigye, once a close ally and personal physician of Museveni, fell out with the president and has since run against him in four presidential elections, all of which he lost. Besigye contested the results, citing election irregularities.
Human rights groups have accused Museveni’s administration of torture, unlawful detentions, and other abuses. The government denies allegations of human rights violations and election fraud.
Besigye Faces New Charge with Death Penalty Threat
