Uganda: Opposition figure Kizza Besigye denied bail
On Tue, Oct 24, 2023, the Ugandan High Court denied bail to opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who has been detained for over a year. He faces charges of treason, accused of planning to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni by force.
On Tue, Oct 24, 2023, the Ugandan High Court denied bail to opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who has been detained for over a year. He faces charges of treason, accused of planning to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni by force.
Besigye described the charges as persecution, stating: “This is really a persecution, it is not a prosecution; it is like I am being tried by the prosecutors and the persecutors I have faced for 20 years now. I have been charged with treason. I don’t know how many times I have been charged with treason, treason that has never been tried. I am tired of this persecution.”
The 68-year-old has been in custody since November of the previous year, following his disappearance in Nairobi, Kenya.
On Tue, Oct 24, 2023, the Ugandan High Court denied bail to opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who has been detained for over a year.
Some legal experts, including Sarah Bireete, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Governance, argue that Besigye and other Ugandan opposition leaders are being unjustly denied bail. Bireete noted, “The state will argue that those who are incarcerated have cases to answer although they cannot explain why opposition leaders in Uganda can no longer access bail from court on bailable offenses even when they meet the other conditions for bail as provided in our judicial guidelines.”
This court decision comes shortly before Uganda's general election. President Museveni, who has held power since 1986, is anticipated to secure another term.
Based on reporting by Africanews.
