Latest news with #Besigye
Washington Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Behind bars, Ugandan opposition figure Besigye launches a new political party
KAMPALA, Uganda — The party of opposition figure Kizza Besigye was launched in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Tuesday, with its jailed leader behind bars for alleged treason. Supporters at the event carried a framed portrait of Besigye, who was expected to address the launch of his People's Front for Freedom, either by video conference or through a written message.
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Behind bars, Ugandan opposition figure Besigye launches a new political party
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The party of opposition figure Kizza Besigye was launched in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Tuesday, with its jailed leader behind bars for alleged treason. Supporters at the event carried a framed portrait of Besigye, who was expected to address the launch of his People's Front for Freedom, either by video conference or through a written message. Prosecutors cite treason, a crime that carries the death penalty in the east African country. They say Besigye solicited military support overseas to destabilize national security. Besigye's attorneys and followers say the charges are politically motivated, calculated to remove him from political contestation over Uganda's future after Museveni, who is 80. Besigye has been repeatedly denied bail even as his attorneys cite his poor health. Uganda's next presidential election is set for January 2026. Museveni, who first took power by force in 1986, has declared his candidacy in a presidential bid that, if successful, would bring him closer to a half-century in power. The opposition figure known as Bobi Wine will also be a candidate, reprising their contest in the 2021 election. It remains unclear if the jailed Besigye will be on the ballot. Lawmaker Ibrahim Ssemujju, a spokesman for the People's Front for Freedom, told reporters on the eve of the party's launch that Besigye was jailed 'for no crime committed but because it gives Mr. Museveni and his son gratification that Besigye is in jail, that they have conquered him." 'I think they may even throw a party to celebrate,' he charged. 'But Dr. Besigye will speak to us as our leader, leader of our party but also leader of our struggles.' Museveni's son, army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has accused Besigye of plotting to kill his father, and once said the opposition figure should be hanged. Kainerugaba has repeatedly asserted his wish to succeed his father in the presidency, raising fears of hereditary rule in Uganda. Museveni has said Besigye must answer for 'the very serious offenses he is alleged to have been planning," and has called for 'a quick trial so that facts come out.' Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition from Museveni, who has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party. Real power is concentrated in the military and intelligence apparatus. Besigye, a physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. He has long been a fierce critic of Museveni, for whom he once served as a military assistant and personal doctor.
Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Behind bars, Ugandan opposition figure Besigye launches a new political party
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The party of opposition figure Kizza Besigye was launched in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Tuesday, with its jailed leader behind bars for alleged treason. Supporters at the event carried a framed portrait of Besigye, who was expected to address the launch of his People's Front for Freedom, either by video conference or through a written message. Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, has been jailed since November on charges he plotted to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni. Prosecutors cite treason, a crime that carries the death penalty in the east African country. They say Besigye solicited military support overseas to destabilize national security. Besigye's attorneys and followers say the charges are politically motivated, calculated to remove him from political contestation over Uganda's future after Museveni, who is 80. Besigye has been repeatedly denied bail even as his attorneys cite his poor health. Uganda's next presidential election is set for January 2026. Museveni, who first took power by force in 1986, has declared his candidacy in a presidential bid that, if successful, would bring him closer to a half-century in power. The opposition figure known as Bobi Wine will also be a candidate, reprising their contest in the 2021 election. It remains unclear if the jailed Besigye will be on the ballot. Lawmaker Ibrahim Ssemujju, a spokesman for the People's Front for Freedom, told reporters on the eve of the party's launch that Besigye was jailed 'for no crime committed but because it gives Mr. Museveni and his son gratification that Besigye is in jail, that they have conquered him.' 'I think they may even throw a party to celebrate,' he charged. 'But Dr. Besigye will speak to us as our leader, leader of our party but also leader of our struggles.' Museveni's son, army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has accused Besigye of plotting to kill his father, and once said the opposition figure should be hanged. Kainerugaba has repeatedly asserted his wish to succeed his father in the presidency, raising fears of hereditary rule in Uganda. Museveni has said Besigye must answer for 'the very serious offenses he is alleged to have been planning,' and has called for 'a quick trial so that facts come out.' Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition from Museveni, who has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party. Real power is concentrated in the military and intelligence apparatus. Besigye, a physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. He has long been a fierce critic of Museveni, for whom he once served as a military assistant and personal doctor. Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from colonial rule six decades ago.
eNCA
23-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Uganda opposition leader denied bail despite legal limit
NAIROBI - A Ugandan court on Friday denied bail to veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye despite exceeding the six-month legal limit for detention without trial. Besigye, 69, was abducted by armed men in Nairobi in November and re-emerged a few days later at a military court in Uganda, where he was charged with treason, which carries a potential death penalty. He is a former doctor to President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for nearly 40 years, but turned against him and ran for the presidency on multiple occasions. Under the constitution, he must be released on bail after 180 days if the trial has not started -- a deadline which passed this week. His case was transferred to a civilian court in February after he went on hunger strike. But earlier this week, lawmakers passed a bill allowing civilians to be tried in military court. In a packed courtroom on Friday, magistrate Esther Nyadoi opted to examine the prosecution's case instead of ruling on Besigye's bail, prompting his lawyers and supporters to walk out in protest. "I am raising a matter of having no legal representation in this case. Your worship this is a case where our lives are at stake," Besigye said. The hearing was adjourned and his detention extended until his next appearance on May 29. Earlier this week, Kenyan foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi admitted "Kenya cooperated with the Ugandan authorities" in Besigye's abduction. In an interview with AFP on Thursday, he said Uganda was Kenya's largest export market and Nairobi did not want to be seen as "fuelling or antagonising our neighbours".
eNCA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Kenya admits role in kidnapping of Uganda opposition leader
Kenya has admitted it assisted in the kidnapping of a Ugandan opposition leader on its soil last year as he appeared in court for the latest hearing of his treason trial on Wednesday. Kizza Besigye, 68, was abducted by armed men in the heart of the Kenyan capital Nairobi in November and re-emerged a few days later at a military court in Uganda. Besigye is a former doctor to President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for nearly 40 years, but turned against him and ran for the presidency on multiple occasions. Kenya's government had previously denied any involvement in his abduction. But in a TV interview late Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Musalia Mudavadi admitted: "Kenya cooperated with the Ugandan authorities." "(Uganda) is a friendly nation. He (Kizza Besigye) was not seeking asylum. He had not come to say that he was seeking asylum. Had he said that, maybe the treatment would have been different," Mudavadi told Citizen TV. "We have to partner with our East African states and sometimes we have to manage those relations very carefully for the broader national interest," he added. Rights groups say Besigye's abduction and trial for treason, which carries a potential death penalty, are linked to the upcoming election in January, when Museveni, 80, will once again seek re-election. Besigye's case was moved to a civilian court after he went on hunger strike earlier this year. After a brief hearing on Wednesday, his case was adjourned to May 29. One of his lawyers, Erias Lukwago, called it "very disappointing". "There is a tendency by court to keep adjourning this case and denying them opportunity to get bail," he told AFP. Activists say the kidnapping and trial are part of a wider erosion of democracy across east Africa. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu is also on trial for treason in his country ahead of elections in October. Several foreign activists who attempted to attend his trial this week were detained and deported.
