Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye was charged with treason in an escalation of legal troubles stemming from allegations he plotted to remove the country’s long-time leader by force.
Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate in the east African country, sat in a wheelchair as he faced the charges in a courtroom in the capital, Kampala. Treason carries the death penalty in Uganda.
Besigye, 68, has been in custody since November 16, when he went missing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Days later, he was presented before a military tribunal in Kampala to face charges over threatening national security.
The Supreme Court stopped his military trial last month, saying court-martial panels cannot try civilians. Besigye’s family, supporters, and others wanted him freed immediately, but he was kept in a maximum-security prison and later started a hunger strike.
Besigye’s case is being watched closely by Ugandans anxious about political maneuvers ahead of presidential elections next year.
Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from colonial rule six decades ago.
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