Uganda opposition leader Kizza Besigye stays jailed after Supreme Court bans civilian military trials

Uganda’s Supreme Court ruled that civilians cannot be tried by military courts, ordering such cases to be transferred to civilian courts. Despite the ruling, opposition leader Kizza Besigye has remained in prison for more than 400 days after being abducted in Nairobi, Kenya, transferred to Uganda, and prosecuted before a military court on treason and firearms charges.

Besigye filed a High Court application accusing Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Yoweri Museveni’s son, of threatening to kill him on Heroes’ Day via social‑media posts. He also seeks to halt the criminal proceedings, citing violations of his constitutional right to a fair trial and the illegality of his military‑court trial. Bail applications have been repeatedly denied, and the prosecution’s case includes allegations of weapons procurement and foreign funding.

In June 2026 President Museveni signed the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Amendment Act, effectively reopening the possibility of military trials for civilians despite the Supreme Court decision, prompting concerns from regional bodies and human‑rights advocates about the rule of law and cross‑border abductions.