Human rights activists, lawyers and medical practitioners in East Africa called on the Ugandan government Tuesday to release opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who has spent the past three months in military detention.
Besigye, who was abducted while on a trip to Kenya in November, was recently rushed to a hospital after going on a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. Reading a statement on behalf of 12 organizations in Nairobi, the head of one of the groups, Khalid Hussein, said they condemn the militarization of justice and escalating government repression in Uganda.
“We call on Ugandan authorities to immediately release Kizza Besigye, Hajj Obeid Lutale, Eron Kiiza and others unlawfully detained,” Hussein said. “The abduction and rendition of Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale blatantly violated international human rights law and the principles of extradition treaties.”
A politician who ran against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in three elections, Besigye was abducted by unidentified men while on a visit to Kenya in November and taken to Luzira Maximum Security Prison in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
He appeared before a military court, where former Kenyan justice minister and lawyer Martha Karua defended him. He is charged with treason, illegal possession of a firearm and threatening national security.
Last week, the 68-year-old fell ill and was taken to a hospital after going on a hunger strike to protest his arrest and the charges.
Ugandan lawyer Andrew Karamagi said the treatment of Besigye and other Museveni critics exposes ongoing rights violations in his country.
“The medical union has spoken out and given a scientific medical analysis of Dr. Besigye’s health, which is in serious jeopardy,” he said. “Citizens who have attempted to protest this have as well been detained, and I should add, violently arrested, as some of you might have seen. This is a culmination of years of human rights abuses [and] disregard for the constitution.”
On January 31, the Ugandan Supreme court ruled that the trial of civilians in a military court is unconstitutional and that such cases must be transferred to ordinary courts. But the government rejected the ruling, saying such trials protect the country from criminals.
In a statement posted on X, Museveni called on those demanding the release of Besigye to instead demand a quick trial to establish the facts. Otherwise, he said, such demands promote insecurity, which is dangerous for the country.
Amnesty International East African regional researcher Roland Ebole said a united voice against human rights violations can help end abuses.
“We are having cross-border repression,” Ebole said. “We are having a transnational repression where we are seeing abductions happening beyond borders. And these abductions are happening sanctioned or blessed by presidents, blessed by heads of state. And they are taking advantage of the fact that on the ground, we are not as united against them.”
Rights groups say they will circulate petitions and reach out to other nations and organizations to demand the release of unlawfully detained Ugandans.
The 12 organizations that took part in today’s demonstration have called for people to join a march on Friday to the Ugandan embassy in Nairobi and the parliament building to present a petition for justice and the release of Besigye and those detained alongside him.
But to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth; since 6th Feb 1981 or earlier; it is our diabolic Dictator and now 80-year-old “Problem of Africa”, Gen Tibuhaburwa who has been behind all the armed conflicts (civil war), subversions, treachery, concealed terrorism and/or promoter of insecurity in Uganda, as well as in the Great Lake Region.
In other words, in order to lead the Law and Legal Enforcement authorities into wild-goose-chase, Mr. M7 is like the arson who starts fire and becomes the firefighter. He is like the stealth serial killer, who is always the first to report to the Police and gives a false description of the murder suspect.
Moreover, because he has such low self-esteem and incompetent to live within his means; he is always in desperate pursuit of public attention. No wonder, for 39 years and counting, is clinging to power as if it is his very life and/or end in itself.
E.g., under the current pretext of a country-wide “Monitoring and Evaluation” of the phony PDM programme; who in his/her right state of mind can still deny that: by hook or crooks, an 80-year old man who is basically falling apart, is desperately grasping at straws and looking for his diminishing popularity, sic attention?
I see this ending badly for the country and especially for who you know. It has become an international issue and to avoid an incident it should be handled carefully and quickly by releasing Dr Besigye