The High Court in Kampala has turned down a bail request from opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and his aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale. The two have been locked up for months over treason charges after being arrested in Nairobi, Kenya last November.
Justice Rosette Kania Comfort, who made the ruling, said the charges were serious and that releasing them now could interfere with ongoing investigations. “There is a likelihood that the applicants if released on bail while investigations are ongoing, owing to the grave nature of the offence, may fall prey to the temptation to interfere with the investigations,” she explained.
Besigye’s lawyer, Erias Lukwago, didn’t hold back after the decision. “This is a terrible decision. It is a terrible precedent.,” he said. “Beyond the rights of Dr. Kizza Besigye and Obeid Lutale, it is a terrible one for the jurisprudence of this country.”
Besigye and Lutale are being charged with treason and misprision of treason—both serious crimes that, if convicted, could lead to a death sentence.
In his bail request, which he filed around two months ago, Besigye made nine arguments for why he should be released. He said he’s being targeted for standing up for the Constitution and pushing for peaceful political change. He also pointed to his age—he’s 68—and said prison conditions are too harsh for someone in his state.
“I’m 68 years old and therefore of advanced age and not able to manage the harsh conditions in prison for the unknown period of my remand,” he said. “I have been on lawful and unlawful remand for over 100 days.”
He also argued that despite being charged months ago, investigations are still dragging on, and he hasn’t even been committed to the High Court—the only court that can actually try such serious charges. That means there’s no clear end in sight for how long he’ll stay on remand.
