Ugandan Opposition Leader Kizza Besigye Critically Ill Following Hunger Strike in Illegal Detention

Besigye, detained since November despite a Supreme Court ruling against military trials for civilians, faces deteriorating health as calls for his release intensify.

• Kizza Besigye, a prominent Ugandan opposition figure and four-time presidential candidate, is critically ill in prison after starting a hunger strike to protest his detention.
• Besigye was abducted in Kenya in November 2024 and charged in a Ugandan military court, despite a Supreme Court ruling declaring such trials unconstitutional for civilians.
• The 68-year-old faces charges including treason and unlawful possession of firearms, with one charge carrying the death penalty, in what rights groups have called politically motivated proceedings.
• Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have condemned his detention as illegal and demanded his immediate release, citing violations of international human rights laws.
• President Yoweri Museveni has rejected the Supreme Court's decision, and prison authorities have denied requests to transfer Besigye for specialized medical care despite his worsening condition.

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Amnesty International