Museveni Defends Besigye’s Continued Detention Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Silence on Other Detainees Raises Questions Notably absent from Museveni’s statement was any mention of other individuals affected by the Supreme Court ruling. The ruling, which nullified military court trials for civilians, impacted several other detainees who remain in prison despite legal precedent requiring their release or retrial in civilian courts.
Uganda Today Edition: Museveni Defends Besigye’s Continued Detention Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Kampala, Uganda – February 18, 2025 – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has defended the government’s decision to keep opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye in detention, despite the Supreme Court’s January 31, 2025, ruling that nullified his court martial trial.
In a statement addressed to the public, Museveni emphasized that Besigye remains in custody due to the serious offenses he is alleged to have committed. He argued that national security must take precedence over public concerns regarding the opposition leader’s continued detention. The president further stated that a “quick trial” in civilian courts is the most appropriate path forward, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that military courts lacked jurisdiction over the case.
“If you want a stable country, the more correct question should be: ‘Naye Dr. Besigye bamukwatila ki? Why was Dr. Besigye arrested?’ The answer to that is a quick trial so that facts come out. Otherwise, you are promoting insecurity which is very dangerous for the country,” Museveni wrote in his statement.
Prior to 2016, Among was a member of FDC a political party that was founded y Dr. Besigye.
Museveni also accused Besigye of using a hunger strike as a form of “unprincipled blackmail” to generate sympathy and demand bail, rather than proving his innocence in court. He reassured the public that Besigye had access to medical care within prison and from private doctors.
Silence on Other Detainees Raises Questions
Notably absent from Museveni’s statement was any mention of other individuals affected by the Supreme Court ruling. The ruling, which nullified military court trials for civilians, impacted several other detainees who remain in prison despite legal precedent requiring their release or retrial in civilian courts.
Legal experts and human rights activists have questioned why the government has not addressed the status of these prisoners. Some argue that the selective focus on Besigye suggests a broader political strategy aimed at maintaining control over high-profile opposition figures while avoiding scrutiny of systemic judicial inconsistencies.
“By only discussing Besigye, the government is deflecting from the larger issue—the Supreme Court decision should have led to the immediate release or civilian retrial of all affected prisoners,” said a Kampala-based human rights lawyer who requested anonymity for security reasons.
This was a significant event, as Besigye the former president of Forum for Democratic change (FDC), received a noticeably bigger applause from the crowd compared to President Museveni
Opposition leaders and civil society groups have called for urgent clarification on the status of all detainees affected by the Supreme Court ruling. Some have warned that the continued detention of these individuals, despite a clear legal mandate, raises concerns about the independence of Uganda’s judiciary and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, government officials insist that the process of transferring Besigye’s case to a civilian court is ongoing, though no timeline has been provided for his trial.
With mounting pressure from both local and international human rights organizations, all eyes remain on Uganda’s judiciary and government to see whether justice will be upheld for Besigye and the other affected detainees.
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