Four days after his arrest in Kenya and his extradition in controversial circumstances, the historic Ugandan opponent Kizza Besigye appeared before a court martial in Kampala on Wednesday, November 20, which informed him of the charges against him. He is notably accused of endangering national security and subversive activities abroad aimed at destabilizing Uganda.
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Missing since his arrest four days earlier in Kenyathe historic Ugandan opponent Kizza Besigye reappeared this Wednesday, November 20 before the court martial in Kampala, the capital ofUgandafor a hearing during which he learned the charges against him. There are four of them, all linked to questions relating to national security.
Also readUganda: historic opponent Kizza Besigye appears before a court martial in Kampala
He is notably being prosecuted for having participated in meetings in Geneva, Athens and Nairobi where he allegedly tried to mobilize logistical support to destabilize Uganda. An accusation to which is also added the illegal possession of firearms, which one of his relatives arrested in his company, Hajj Lutale Kamulegeya, is also accused of. During their arrest on Saturday, November 16, in an apartment in the Kenyan capital where the two men had gone to attend the launch of a book by politician Martha Karua, the Ugandan security agents who arrested them allegedly discovered placed two pistols and ammunition, according to the prosecution.
Kizza Besigye rejects these allegations, which he describes as “ made from scratch » and pleaded not guilty during his appearance, a hearing during which he also challenged the jurisdiction of a court martial to try him. After pointing out that he was no longer in the army, he felt that he should be tried by a civilian court.
New appearance on December 2
His defense, for its part, considers that a Ugandan court martial is not competent to judge acts allegedly committed outside Uganda and denounces the “ complicity » from the Kenyan government in “ the persecution of the Ugandan opposition “.
“ This court has no jurisdiction to rule on acts allegedly committed outside Ugandan borders. It is only empowered to judge offenses committed on national territory. », declared his lawyer, Me Erias Lukwago, who also considers his extradition by Kenya illegal. Kizza Besigye and Hajj Lutale Kamulegeya “ are neither fugitives who can be extradited, nor criminals who can be deported. Ugandan forces crossed the border to carry out illegal acts of abduction and kidnapping, with the full complicity of the Kenyan government. And despite this, all of East Africa remains silent and does not condemn these actions. This concerns me deeply “, he continued.
The Ugandan authorities say for their part that there was no kidnapping or extradition and that the entire operation was carried out in coordination with the Kenyan government, reports the local press. Regardless, Kizza Besigye has been remanded in custody until December 2, when he will appear in court again.