Reacting to the abduction of Dr. Kizza Besigye, Ugandan opposition politician and former presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in Nairobi, Kenya on 16 November and his arraignment at a military court in Kampala on 20 November, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:
“Amnesty International is deeply disturbed by the abduction of Dr. Besigye as well as the lack of an extradition process from Kenya. This is not the first time a foreign dissident has been abducted on Kenyan soil. It is part of a growing and worrying trend of transnational repression with governments violating human rights beyond their borders.
Dr. Besigye’s abduction is part of a growing and worrying trend of transnational repression with governments violating human rights beyond their borders.Tigere Chagutah
“The Ugandan government has a track record of systematically cracking down on opposition political parties through abductions, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions on trumped-up charges.
Amnesty International strongly believes that Dr. Besigiye’s abduction is designed to send a chilling message to those whose opinions dissent from the Ugandan government. These practices must stop.Tigere Chagutah
“Amnesty International strongly believes that Dr. Besigye’s abduction is designed to send a chilling message to those whose opinions dissent from the Ugandan government. These practices must stop.”
Background
According to Dr. Kizza Besigye’s lawyers, he was last seen on 16 November in an apartment complex in Nairobi, Kenya at around 4.30pm and was subsequently unreachable until family members confirmed that he was being held at a military jail in Kampala with no access to his family or lawyers.
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Dr. Besigye’s lawyers claim that the abduction is the result of collusion between Kenyan and Ugandan authorities, but the Kenyan government has denied involvement.
On 23 July, 36 members of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) were arrested in Kisumu, Kenya and forcibly deported to Uganda where they were charged with terrorism charges despite lawfully entering Kenya with the necessary immigration permissions. On 18 October 2024, seven Turkish asylum seekers were abducted in Nairobi, and on 20 October, four of them were forcefully returned to Turkey.
Dr. Besigye was arraigned alongside FDC member Haji Obeid Lutale at Makindye General Court Martial despite being a civilian and charged with offences relating to security and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. According to a 2006 ruling by the Constitutional Court of Uganda, military courts have no jurisdiction to try cases of terrorism and unlawful possession of firearms.
