Ugandan Opposition Leader Besigye Faces Treachery Trial in Military Court

Kizza Besigye, a prominent critic of President Museveni, could face the death penalty as human rights groups condemn his detention and trial.

Kizza Besigye, a veteran opposition figure in Uganda, has been charged with treachery, a crime punishable by death, by a military court in Kampala.
Besigye was detained after disappearing in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024, and later reappeared in Uganda facing charges of illegal firearm possession and soliciting military support abroad.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticized the trial as politically motivated and a misuse of military courts to suppress dissent.
Besigye's trial comes as Uganda approaches the 2026 presidential elections, with President Museveni, in power since 1986, expected to run but facing speculation about a potential succession.
The military court's decision to proceed with the trial has drawn attention to broader concerns over political repression and the lack of a peaceful transfer of power in Uganda since its independence in 1962.