Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed a new law allowing civilians to be tried in military courts, sparking criticism that it targets opposition leaders ahead of next year’s election.
This move directly counters a late January Supreme Court ruling that deemed such trials unconstitutional for civilians, a decision that had led to opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s treason case being moved to a civilian court.
However, the new legislation introduces “exceptional circumstances” for military jurisdiction over civilians, including “unlawful possession of arms,” a charge Besigye faces.
Uganda’s parliament announced the law’s signing on X.
Besigye’s lawyer, Erias Lukwago, asserts the law aims to facilitate “illegal detention and trial” of Besigye, who has already exceeded the legal detention limit.
Opposition leader Bobi Wine stated the Act targets “all of us in the opposition.”
Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, previously jailed by a military court, vowed to challenge the Act legally.
Rights groups link Besigye’s abduction and trial to the January election, where Museveni, 80, seeks to extend his 40-year rule.