Ugandan opposition figures will be tried in civil courts rather than military courts, officials say
Kampala, Uganda (AP) – An official said on Monday that a prominent opposition figure facing a military trial faced a number of oppositions faced by a prominent opposition figure in Uganda will be prosecuted as authorities face increasing pressure to release him.
Four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye, who went missing in Kenya's capital Nairobi in November, appeared in a cage in a military court in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
Besigye's close accomplices said his trial, including Betrayal, was politically motivated.
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Uganda's Supreme Court ruled last month that civilians could not be held by the court, questioning the justice of the distribution of powers by untrained officers.
It is unclear what allegations Besiger may face under Uganda's criminal law. Justice official James Ereemye Mawanda said that although committing a crime with betrayal is treason, judicial officials are studying the evidence and “deciding which action to take”.
According to his family, Besigye has been on a hunger strike for several days. He looked weak when he appeared in court last week. He was taken to an ambulance ambulance on Sunday for treatment at a clinic outside the highest security prison where he was held.
The Supreme Court's ruling was criticized by Muhoozi Kaiinerugaba, son of senior Uganda military commander.
Besigye, 68, has been arrested several times during his political career but has never been convicted.
He is a doctor who retired from the army of Uganda colonel and was the former chairman of the Forum of the Democratic Change Party, the most prominent opposition group in Uganda for many years. In the 1990s, what he said about Besigye was the authoritarianism of Museveni's slides, who served as Museveni's personal doctor.
Amnesty International called on Besigye to release, saying: “His kidnapping clearly violates international human rights law and violates the extradition process with its necessary fair trial protections.”
Ugandans have paid close attention to Ugandan cases ahead of next year's presidential election.
While Museveni is expected to seek reelection, some observers believe he may resign. He had no obvious successor in the ruling national resistance party. Kaierugaba often expresses his desire to inherit his father.
