Kizza Besigye, Uganda’s opposition leader, and his political associate Hajj Obeid Lutale filed a lawsuit against the Kenyan and Ugandan governments at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) on November 16 following their kidnapping in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to Uganda’s Daily Monitor, Besigye claimed in his lawsuit filed on December 4 that he was abducted and returned to Uganda to face a military court.
Besigye stated that convicting civilians in military courts is illegitimate, and criticized the Kenyan government for failing to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect citizens within its boundaries.
They were purportedly captured by Ugandan military soldiers with the complicity of Kenyan officials and then transported to Uganda.
The four-time presidential candidate said that Kenyan security agents assisted Ugandan colleagues in carrying out the kidnapping, which he described as extraterritorial abduction.
Besigye’s lawyers claimed that his abduction violated several rights guaranteed by the Kenyan Constitution and the East African Treaty.
The EACJ court has ordered that both the Attorney Generals of Uganda and Kenya answer to this motion within 45 days; if they fail to do so, the case will proceed without their involvement.
The petitioners claim that the kidnapping violates international law, regional conventions, and fundamental human rights norms.
Winnie Byanyima, Besigye’s wife, who raised concerns during the kidnapping, revealed that shortly after the capture, Besigye was forcibly bundled, tied up, and dumped inside a car alongside his ally, Lutale.
The abductors then sat on them till they reached their objective, Kampala.
Following the abduction that startled the East African Community, the opposition leader was held in prison until December 2, 2024, while awaiting trial on security-related charges.
It comes as Besigye’s trial in the Military Court is postponed due to procedural concerns with his legal representation in Uganda.
One of the counts filed against Besigye was possession of an unlawful firearm and ammunition, with the prosecution stating that the offenses occurred in numerous overseas locations.
