Uganda Denies Kizza Besigye the Right to Defence
STATEMENT
European Left – Africa Working Group
The European Left condemns the obstruction of Dr Kizza Besigye’s legal defence, calls for his transfer to a private clinic, and urges Uganda to respect the right to a fair trial under international conventions.
The European Left condemns in the strongest possible terms the violation of Dr Kizza Besigye’s right to a defence.
The two lawyers representing the leader of the opposition were not allowed to defend their client. The first, the Ugandan lawyer Erias Lukwago, was arrested and remains in prison. The second, the former Kenyan minister Martha Karua, was stopped at the airport and was not allowed to enter Uganda.
In addition to these serious violations of the right to a fair trial, Dr Besigye’s very life is now at stake; he is currently in intensive care at Mulago Government Hospital in Kampala.
The European Left calls on the Ugandan government to ensure that Kizza Besigye is immediately transferred, as requested by his family, to a private clinic, where Dr Olive Kobusingye, Besigye’s sister, can oversee her brother’s medical care.
The European Left reminds the Ugandan government that, as Uganda is a member of the UN, it has an obligation to respect international conventions on the right to a fair trial.
Editor’s Note:
Dr. Kizza Besigye is a four-time Ugandan presidential candidate and one of the country’s leading opposition figures. He has been held in detention since November 2024 after being abducted in Nairobi and transferred to Uganda. He is currently facing treason charges, which he denies. Amnesty International has described his detention as arbitrary and has called for his immediate release.