Besigye, a qualified physician who retired from Uganda’s military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda’s most prominent opposition group.
Lukwago and other activists are trying to free Besigye on the basis of the Supreme Court’s decision, but prison authorities say they have no order to release him.
Four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye, who has been in detention since his abduction from Kenya on Nov. 16, is infirm and experiences episodes of hypertension, said Erias Lukwago.
A military tribunal in Kampala has charged Besigye, 68, and an assistant with offenses related to illegal possession of a firearm and threatening national security.
Amnesty International has called for Besigye’s release, saying his “abduction clearly violated international human rights law and the process of extradition with its requisite fair trial protections.”.
