Ugandan Opposition Leader Kizza Besigye Hospitalized After Courtroom Collapse
In a dramatic turn of events, Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has been admitted to a hospital after losing consciousness during a court session. The incident has sparked calls for his release, as he faces an ongoing treason trial. The courtroom collapse occurred amidst concerns regarding the denial of his choice of legal representatives.
Besigye, a prominent political leader, fell inside the courtroom on Wednesday while protesting the absence of his preferred legal counsel. His lead attorney, Erias Lukwago, had been detained and accused of failing to report acts of treason.
Winnie Byanyima, Besigye’s wife and UNAIDS Executive Director, shared on X that her husband is currently in intensive care in a public hospital in Kampala. “Before he collapsed, he cried out that he was being injured,” she stated, expressing concerns about his health.
Supporters, including close associate Ingrid Turinawe, report being denied access to Besigye at Mulago Hospital. Turinawe stated, “He is in the ICU, and he is not responding to anything,” adding that Besigye’s personal doctor managed to see him hours after the incident.
The Ugandan prison authority has not provided any comments on the situation. Besigye’s trial is contentious, with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, publicly condemning him.
Kainerugaba has accused Besigye of plotting against Museveni, ominously describing him as “a dead man walking.” Museveni himself insists that Besigye must face justice for the “very serious offenses he is alleged to have been planning.”
Prosecutors aim to present evidence of Besigye’s alleged conspiracy to overthrow the government, claims that his political party dismisses as fabricated and politically motivated. Besigye, who was once a close ally of Museveni during the guerrilla war that brought him to power in 1986, has grown into a vocal critic, citing the erosion of democratic principles.
Besigye’s last presidential run was in 2016, after which he declared elections meaningless under Museveni’s authoritarian regime. He disappeared in Nairobi in November 2024, only to resurface at a military tribunal in Kampala facing national security charges. These charges were later modified to treason, a crime punishable by death.
Museveni, who has abolished term and age restrictions on the presidency, continues to lead Uganda after a controversial election in January. His main competitor, Bobi Wine, has since sought refuge abroad to avoid potential threats to his life.
