Besigye sues Muhoozi for threatening to hang him on Heroes Day

Jailed opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has gone back to the High Court with his co-accused Hajji Obeid Lutale, this time to stop their treason trial completely.

They say the case is unfair because of how they were arrested and because of repeated public threats made by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The new application is linked to a criminal case where Besigye, Lutale and Captain Denis Oola are charged with treason and misprision of treason. The government alleges they plotted to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni through meetings in Geneva, Athens, Nairobi and Kampala, and by seeking funds, weapons and military training.

The State says it has audio, video, phone and immigration records to support the charge. All three remain on remand until June 11 2026.

But Besigye and Lutale now argue that their arrest and detention destroyed any chance of a fair trial. Through lawyers Erias Lukwago, Frederick Mpanga and Ernest Kalibala, they told the court they were grabbed in Nairobi on November 16, 2024 while attending a book launch hosted by Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua.

They claim Ugandan military officers took them to Uganda without extradition, held them incommunicado for four days at Makindye Military Barracks, and denied them lawyers, family and doctors before producing them in court.

The application names Gen Muhoozi, Col Peter Ahimbisibwe, Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga and the Attorney General as respondents.

A major part of their complaint centres on Gen Muhoozi’s posts on X. Court papers quote a post from 16 January 2025 saying, “We will hang KB on Heroes’ Day. That’s the best day for him to die.”

Another dated 19 February 2026 allegedly called Besigye a “dead man walking” because he “wanted to kill Mzee.”

A post from April 2026 is cited as saying, “I think we might hang Besigye by next month. If we don’t hang him, we will shoot him dead. That will be a great day for Uganda.”

Other quoted remarks say Besigye will leave prison “only in his coffin after we hang him or shoot him, or on his knees apologising” to President Museveni.

Besigye’s lawyers say those statements amount to threats to life, psychological torture, public judgment of guilt, and interference with the court’s independence.

They also rely on the Supreme Court ruling in Attorney General v Michael Kabaziguruka, which limited the trial of civilians in military courts, arguing Besigye and Lutale were first charged before a military tribunal in violation of that decision.

The defence is asking the High Court to declare the Nairobi abduction unlawful, nullify the criminal proceedings, order their unconditional release, and provide medical treatment and rehabilitation for alleged torture.

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