A leading Ugandan lawyer defending opposition figure Kizza Besigye was charged with a treason-related crime on Wednesday, days after security forces detained him.
Erias Lukwago, a senior opposition member and former mayor of Kampala, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to “misprision of treason” — failing to report treason to authorities. He was ordered held in custody.
Lukwago is representing Besigye in two cases: a treason trial, and a lawsuit against Uganda’s military chief, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, over repeated online threats to Besigye’s life.
Kainerugaba is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who secured another term in January’s disputed election, extending his 40-year rule. After Lukwago’s arrest, Kainerugaba posted on X that he was “proud of ALL the hurt and pain” he planned to inflict on the lawyer. He has previously threatened to hang Besigye and kill exiled opposition leader Bobi Wine.
According to Bobi Wine, who now lives in the U.S., soldiers seized Lukwago on Monday while he was preparing to serve a court summons on Kainerugaba.
Speaking outside court, Lukwago’s own lawyer said he collapsed in detention after being forced into strenuous physical exercises. Ugandan military and police spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
Lukwago was part of the legal team that won a January 2025 Supreme Court ruling barring civilians from being tried in military courts.
