Africa-Press – Uganda. A court in Uganda has resumed the trial of veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye on charges of treason, despite his absence from the session, as his health condition raises concerns for his family; his wife described the trial as a “sham.”
Besigye, 70, has been in custody since his arrest in November 2024 and faces allegations of plotting a conspiracy against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for over 40 years.
Besigye, a former doctor for Museveni, was transferred to intensive care after losing consciousness during his trial session on July 30.
He was returned to prison on August 8, despite objections from doctors, according to his wife, and he has not appeared in court for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
Winnie Byanyima, Besigye’s wife and executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), stated that her husband is “seriously ill” and unable to speak or communicate with his lawyer.
She added, in remarks to a local source, that “this is not a trial, it is a sham,” referring to the possibility of her husband appearing in court via video conferencing.
Besigye’s defense team is also facing pressure, as authorities have arrested his lead attorney, Eric Lukoju, while former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua has been barred from entering Uganda.
Byanyima accused President Museveni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the army commander seen as a potential successor to his father, of managing the trial “day by day.”
