KEY POINTS
-
Free governor control boycott marks start of treason trial.
-
Besigye says Judge Baguma cannot deliver fair justice.
-
Detention highlights political repression ahead of Uganda’s polls.
Kizza Besigye, the longtime Ugandan opposition leader and former challenger to President Yoweri Museveni, refused to appear in court on Monday at the start of his long-delayed treason trial.
His decision to boycott proceedings, announced through his lawyer, highlights simmering tensions in the country’s political and judicial system as Museveni, 80, prepares to seek another term in elections slated for early next year.
Besigye accuses trial judge of bias
The trial involving Besigye and his aide, Obed Lutale, was scheduled to begin after months of adjournments. But both men chose to stay away after the presiding judge, Emmanuel Baguma, declined to recuse himself. Their lawyer, Eron Kiiza, told Reuters the defense believes Baguma has shown bias, citing his earlier refusal to grant Besigye bail.
“Besigye and Lutale took a decision never to appear before Judge Baguma,” Kiiza said, arguing that the judge is incapable of dispensing justice with the fairness and impartiality demanded by the constitution. The judiciary pushed back on those claims. Spokesman James Ereemye Mawanda said there was no basis for the allegations and confirmed Baguma had rejected calls to step aside. Attempts to reach Baguma for comment were unsuccessful.
Detention and charges heighten political tensions
Besigye, once Museveni’s ally and personal physician, has since become his most prominent critic. He has run against the president in four elections but lost each time, consistently alleging fraud and intimidation. His ongoing detention has drawn scrutiny from human rights groups and foreign observers who argue the case reflects broader patterns of repression.
According to Reuteers, he and Lutale were arrested in neighboring Kenya in November last year, then extradited to Uganda and charged with treason and other offenses. The case began in a military tribunal before being shifted to a civilian court. Besigye has denied all allegations and has not indicated whether he plans to run again.
The boycott has deepened doubts about the independence of Uganda’s judiciary and thrown fresh uncertainty over a trial seen as a pacer for the country’s democratic space.
