Leading
Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye appeared in a military court in Kampala
yesterday after his reported abduction in Nairobi, his lawyer said.
Besigye, 68,
was taken to the General Court Martial in handcuffs and under heavy military
escort.
“Besigye has
objected to his trial before the General Court Martial and informed the court
chairman that he is a civilian who should not be tried in a military court,”
his lawyer Erias Lukwago said.
The hearing
was briefly adjourned after Besigye told the court he did not have legal
representation as he had been held incommunicado.
“As his
lawyers, we stepped in to protect his rights but he had not given us a briefing
for this particular case and we don’t know the charges he is facing at the
moment.”
Besigye’s
wife Winnie Byanyima, who is head of the United Nations Programme on HIV and
Aids, said her husband was kidnapped on Saturday while in Nairobi for a book
launch by Kenyan opposition politician Martha Karua.
Besigye was
charged alongside Hajj Obed Lutale.
He was
remanded after being charged with offences relating to security, illegal
possession of two pistols and illegal possession of eight rounds of
ammunition.
According to
the charge sheet, the two committed the offences in Nairobi (Kenya), Athens
(Greece) and Geneva (Switzerland) to cause insecurity in Uganda.
The
prosecution alleges that between October 2023 and November 2024, the two,
together with others who are yet to be arrested, held meetings in the three
capitals to solicit for resources to cause insecurity in Uganda.
Speaking for
the first time in court, Besigye said he had been in complete isolation since
abduction. “I was only informed that I was coming to court a few minutes ago,”
he said.