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Besigye faces death sentence after being charged with treachery

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye will also be charged with “treachery”, which carries the death penalty.

Besigye was kidnapped in Kenya last year in November before being taken back to Uganda and charged with illegal possession of firearms and undermining the East African country’s security in a military court, despite being a civilian.

The new charge adds to the list of violations of military law that Uganda says were committed by a prominent opposition figure.

During a court hearing yesterday, a military prosecutor read Besigye and his co-accused the new charge of treachery.

Besigye and his co-accused were charged yesterday with having intelligence reports about a plot to undermine national security and consciously withholding the said vital information from the proper authorities.

Besigye’s lawyers protested at the extra charge, saying they violated criminal trial procedures.

They also protested at the detention of prominent human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, who is part of Besigye’s defence team.

The veteran political foe of President Yoweri Museveni was detained in Kenya before being taken to Uganda where he has been kept in prison in the capital Kampala since then, together with an aide, Obeid Lutale, with whom he was detained and charged.

At Besigye’s last court appearance on January 7, Kiiza was sentenced to nine months in prison for alleged contempt of court over an altercation with court orderlies.

London-based human rights group Amnesty International has described Kiiza’s detention and jail sentence as outrageous, demanding his release.

Besigye was once an ally and personal physician of Museveni, but the two later fell out.

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He ran against and lost to Museveni in four presidential elections. He rejected the results of all those votes over alleged irregularities.

Previously, human rights activists have accused Museveni’s government of widespread human rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary detention.

However, Museveni’s government has repeatedly denied allegations of election fraud and rights abuses.

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