Uganda’s government said Sunday it would drop a military trial against opposition figurehead Kizza Besigye, urging him to give up his hunger strike in jail, a minister said.
The pledge was promptly rejected as “suspicious” by Besigye’s wife, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima.
Besigye, a former ally turned rival of longtime President Yoweri Museveni, went on a hunger strike on February 10 in protest at his detention.
Charging him with treason for allegedly threatening national security, the government has vowed to try him in a military court, despite a Supreme court ruling that such a move against a civilian is unconstitutional.
Now, however, “the government is fast-tracking the transfer of Besigye’s case from the court martial to the civil court,” Cabinet spokesperson and Information minister Chris Baryomunsi told AFP.
“As a government, we are complying with the ruling of the Supreme court.”
The minister said in an earlier message on X that he had visited Besigye in prison Sunday “in the presence of his personal doctors” and “asked him to resume taking food” pending the transfer.
The army, which has not yet commented on the announcement, had previously dismissed the Supreme court ruling and insisted the military trial would go ahead. Besigye appeared in court for a hearing in a separate case Friday looking frail, prompting outrage from his supporters.
Baryomunsi declined to say whether Sunday’s pledge was prompted by the outcry. Byanyima told AFP on Sunday that she was “very worried” about her husband’s condition.
Chris Baryomunsi is one of the dictator`s agents with the ugliest heart.
Dr.Besigye does not need offers ; he MUST get his freedom or the coffin that Baby Muhoozi promised him .
As usual. Did you expect anything meaningful from this diehard NRM staunch. Why the haggle?
Let him give in and eat and then the transfer will materialize in the next twenty years while they are preparing their famous killing tree. Stop duping us. Just let our Besigye free before you have to make yourselves look ridiculous before the whole world
That man Baryo munsi olukwe should, there no bargain about live esp KB.
Besigye wasin kenya on an invitation, the woman who invited him is not a soldier.
If Besigye had a gun in his hand in kenya’s capital city how would endanger Uganda!!
I hear there is a son of somebody who said that Besigye should apologise to his father, really uganda is that where we are, do we belong those people who entered uganda seeking help
How about dropping the military trials first and then talk about
the hunger strike after
The thing is that Dr.Besigye is a HOSTAGE. There is nothing to talk about; there is NO military trial any more . Baryomunsi the man knows this , but Baryomunsi as an egent of the oppression doesn´t.
They can either vomit Besigye or let him die as Muhoozi promised.
Why on earth do these leaders abuse the people they purport to lead? I have wondered about this ever since this regime went rouge. The sadistic disposition of the regime is most painful to most us. What happened to them?
But Harry, the regime didn’t just go rouge: it is rouge in all definitions.
In other words, the regime founders are bloody rouges by nature and birth, to only cause harm. The came to power through killing and stealing. Therefore, can’t be a matter of “becoming” rouges, but are rouges in themselves. Which is why their inhumanity to humanity to persons like Dr. Besigye is not surprising.
They are simply beastly and sub-terannual beings. It is also unfortunate that; for the 39 years and counting, many Ugandans are debasing themselves by cheerleading the harm being caused.
E.g., where were you on 26th Jan 2017 when in broad-day-light, loud and clear; our now 80-year-old “Problem of Africa”, Gen Tibuhaburwa categorically told off Ugandans and in the hearing of the whole wide world that: he is neither our servant nor employee?
It is suspicious indeed to release a suspect from the military tribunal to a civilian court, when this politician was found with military arms in another country, trying to negotiate to remove this long serving military government of NRM. He is likely to be arrested again if he does not beg for forgiveness or even killed(assassinated) like the NRM Minister of Energy, Dr Andrew Lutakome Kayiira 9the March 1987, if released by a sympathetic NRM cadre civilian court! It definitely seems that the former physician of this dictatorship government is presently trapped well in catch-22 with his life as a former NRM political party diehard!
The traditional African Ganda tribes people sometimes remark with much fear in their human hearts; emizimu gya bafu giluluma!
Fellow Ugandans, forget about what Balyomusi is saying, after all, he is a mouth piece of the autocratic govt. It is clear that we’re in a lawless nation. He is simply sugar coating a ruthless militant govt with a knee-jerk politically motivated reaction. M7 and his son, Muhoozi M7, have said it all. M7 said that Uganda “is not governed by judges.” In other words, there’s no rule of law in Uganda but rule of militants. And Muhoozi M7 said that, Besigye shall leave “Luzira prison either in a coffin or after apologizing to his father, M7.”
Therefore, it shouldn’t only be a handful of protesters on the streets, it should be all of us we care about our nation which is captured by M7’s family, relatives, tribesmen and militants.
We should all go on hung strike if need be.
Of course we can’t out gun M7 neither could we compete with him in using violence against divergence views. Never have, never will. Therefore let’s exercise our right of “people power” and go on hung strike like Besigye, and demand for M7’s immediate exit.
I welcome the opposition unity and issuing a demand that all political prisoners must be released forthwith. I hope and pray that Kyagulanyi is going to redeem himself and take this opportunity to mobilise the nation against injustice. M7 must go. Now. That should be our objective. Enough is enough.
M7 and his son have made it abundantly clear that Uganda is not governed by rule of law but a family rule led by militants.
What is happening to Besigye and all other political prisoners is not new. Many have lost their lives and others are missing simply because they have a divergence political view and need a change in Uganda. M7 has made it a treasonable crime for demanding for a change. When will it end?
Now.
The Spin Dr. Chris Baryomunsi of this country is indeed a Diabolic and Evil Medical Practitioner.
In other words, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi is so eerie, cold-blooded and deadly that: he touches you and/or loved ones at your own risk.
Wachireba?
It is a pity, the Byanyima’s Family must indeed be in exasperating anguish!
I am sure when they think of it: how, “our Problem of Africa”, Gen Tibuhaburwa, the man who was green with envy, coveted their Cattle Ranch, their Middle Class Lifestyle of the 60s, used to loaf around their home during school holidays, drank their milk, ate their food and slept in their bed/home; has turned around to become their worse and beastly nightmare.
In other words, it must be unbelievable and yet literally bewildering.
Once again : “Eryoka nga n´etonnya..”
Most Ugandans know that Norbert Mao`s mouth is always wide open ; but not many knew that his brain is leaky .
Okay , Baryomunsi is an agent of this tribal outfit. Some of the silly things he says may be tribal ; but what is it that is eating up Mao`s brain ? How a man who shed tears when this regime kidnapped and dumped him a “safe house” in Nakasongora together with Dr.Besigye now stand there are and try to blame the hostage`s lawyers for delaying to beg the defunct military tribunal to “instruct” the high court to grant Besigye bail . What kind of nonsense is that !