A Ugandan military court on Tuesday extended the detention of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, remanding him in custody until January 2025.
Besigye’s legal team had requested a brief adjournment, but the court martial sided with state prosecutors, who pushed for a longer delay. Besigye and his associate, Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, face charges of subversion and endangering national security. The two were reportedly abducted by Ugandan intelligence agents in Kenya’s capital last November, sparking widespread condemnation.
Their case is scheduled to be mentioned in court on January 7, 2025. Besigye’s lawyers have criticized the trial, refusing to seek bail and opposing the army tribunal’s jurisdiction. Besigye, a retired army officer and medical doctor, has contested the legality of civilians being tried in military courts.
“This is clearly a kangaroo court,” said Erias Lukwago, a member of Besigye’s defense team, during a press briefing. “These proceedings lack the competence of a legitimate court of law,” he added.
While Ugandan law prohibits trying civilians in military courts, the government has exploited delays in the Supreme Court’s review of a Constitutional Court ruling on the matter. This loophole has been used to prosecute opponents of President Yoweri Museveni in military tribunals.
Besigye, a longtime political rival of Museveni, has run for president four times, each time in elections marred by allegations of irregularities and controversy.
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