Besigye collapses in court during treason trial

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye appeared to collapse in court during a trial in which he is facing treason charges, reports Business Day. Besigye (69), who has been detained without bail for several months, shouted the word ‘stop’ many times before he fell backward in the dock. The court proceedings were postponed as prison guards moved to attend to the high-profile defendant. Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, has been repeatedly denied bail. His main attorney, Erias Lukwago, has also been arrested and charged with alleged failure to report acts of treason. In recent days prosecutors have moved to present evidence they say will prove Besigye and others plotted to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni. Those urging for Besigye’s release on compassionate grounds say he needs to consult a doctor of his choice and not the government-appointed medics available at the maximum-security facility where he is held. It has been reported that according to his wife, Besigye is in intensive care. Besigye went missing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in November 2024 but was later presented before a military tribunal in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, to face charges related to threatening national security. The case was transferred to civilian court and amended as treason, which carries the death penalty. Besigye was once was a trusted ally of Yoweri Museveni in the guerrilla war that propelled Museveni to power in 1986. He even served as Museveni’s personal doctor and military assistant. He later became a fierce critic of the President, condemning what he saw as a descent into authoritarianism. Museveni, who won re-election in controversial polls in January, is serving a seventh consecutive term in office.

Full Business Day report