KAMPALA, Uganda — A Ugandan court on Friday refused to grant bail to veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, even though his detention without trial has exceeded the six-month legal limit stipulated under the constitution.
Dr Besigye, 69, was reportedly abducted by armed individuals in Nairobi in November and resurfaced several days later in a Ugandan military court, where he was charged with treason, an offense that carries a possible death sentence.
A former physician to President Yoweri Museveni, who has governed Uganda for nearly four decades, Dr Besigye became an opponent and has run for the presidency multiple times.
According to the constitution, he should be released on bail after 180 days if his trial has not commenced, a deadline that passed earlier this week.
Following a hunger strike by Dr Besigye, his case was transferred to a civilian court in February. However, this week, legislators passed a bill permitting the trial of civilians in military courts.
In a crowded courtroom on Friday, Magistrate Esther Nyadoi chose to review the prosecution’s case instead of ruling on Dr Besigye’s bail application, leading to a walkout protest by his legal team and supporters.
“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,” Dr Besigye stated.
The hearing was adjourned, and his detention was extended until his next scheduled court appearance on May 29th.
Also Read: Museveni slams Besigye’s hunger strike as a mere sympathy stunt
Earlier in the week, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi acknowledged, “Kenya cooperated with the Ugandan authorities” regarding Dr Besigye’s reported abduction.
In an interview with AFP on Thursday, Mudavadi noted that Uganda is Kenya’s largest export market and that Nairobi did not wish to be perceived as “fuelling or antagonising our neighbours.”
Mudavadi did not address AFP‘s inquiries about the legality of Dr Besigye’s deportation, stating, “Kenya is not on trial.”
