Uganda’s opposition party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), has accused the government of deliberately sabotaging the trial of its leader Kizza Besigye, claiming repeated delays, failure to disclose evidence, and interference with religious observances amount to indefinite detention without trial. The party says the handling of the case reflects a wider pattern of political persecution and judicial obstruction.
In a statement posted on its X platform on Wednesday, PFF condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the conduct of the prosecution, accusing the government of deliberately frustrating court proceedings.
“For 15 months, the Museveni administration and its legal apparatus have sung a chorus of ‘readiness,’ claiming to possess overwhelming evidence,” the statement said. “Yet, when the moment of truth arrives, the state retreats into a fortress of excuses.”
The statement came a day after Besigye and co-accused Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya appeared before Justice Emmanuel Baguma on February 24, 2026.
Justice Baguma directed the prosecution to fully disclose all evidence by March 3 ahead of the next hearing on March 12, effectively delaying substantive trial proceedings. Prosecutors cited administrative needs in transferring files, a move critics describe as a stalling tactic.
Besigye, a former four-time presidential candidate and once close ally of President Yoweri Museveni, has been in detention since November 2024, after being allegedly abducted in Nairobi and presented in a Ugandan military court on charges of treason and illegal firearms possession, allegations he denies.
The trial drew international attention following a 2025 Ugandan Supreme Court ruling that civilians cannot be tried in military courts, prompting transfer to a civilian High Court.
PFF said that despite repeated claims by authorities of possessing strong evidence, “the reality in court today tells a different story.” Justice Baguma had previously “set January 31 as the final deadline for the state to provide full disclosure of evidence to the defense,” the party noted. “The state failed to meet this basic legal requirement.”
Criticising prosecutors for requesting more time, PFF said, “Today, the prosecution had the audacity to ask for more time simply to transfer files onto flash drives.
This is not a legal hurdle, it is a stalling tactic designed to keep innocent men under the thumb of the state.”
The party argued that repeated extensions point to either administrative weakness or deliberate delay, adding, “By repeatedly asking for extensions for administrative tasks, the state admits it is either incompetent or, more likely, operating in bad faith to prolong the detention and restriction of our leaders.”
The party also took aim at the judiciary’s handling of the case, saying, “While the bench grants ‘courtesy’ to the state’s delays, it offers no such grace to the accused.”
It described the upcoming March 3 disclosure and March 12 scheduling as “simply code for indefinite detention without trial,” adding, “If the state were truly ready, this evidence would have been presented over a year ago.”
Addressing the judiciary directly, PFF said, “We call upon the judiciary to stop acting as an extension of the executive’s political arm,” describing the continued incarceration of Besigye and Kamulegeya as “a stain on the Ugandan legal system.”
The party also condemned interference with religious practices, noting, “To deny a man the right to pray and the solace of Mass is to attempt to break his soul where his body has refused to bend.”
PFF argued that religious rights have historically been respected even during periods of political turbulence. “Even in the darkest moments of Uganda’s history, the right to seek spiritual counsel was respected,” the statement said. “Today, under this regime, even God is treated as a security threat.”
The statement concluded with a pointed challenge to the authorities: “How much more injustice must be endured before the state carries its own shame?” It demanded an immediate end to what it called “judicial and now spiritual persecution.”
Besigye, long a critic of President Museveni, has faced multiple arrests and prosecutions over the years. In this latest case, PFF insists that the government’s actions are politically motivated rather than legal, pointing to repeated delays and adjournments as a strategy to exhaust the accused.
The party said the trial has become a symbol of shrinking political and civil space in Uganda, and it vowed to continue challenging what it describes as “judicial sabotage” while pressing for justice for its detained leaders. The next hearings are scheduled for early and mid-March.
