Detained Ugandan opposition leader Besigye in intensive care, wife says

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that detained Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye was taken to intensive care after collapsing during a High Court session in Kampala on Wednesday. His wife, Winnie Byanyima, said Thursday on X that Besigye was unconscious, unable to speak and unresponsive. The 70-year-old, who has been held since late 2024 on treason charges, was admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda’s capital.

Byanyima, who also leads UNAIDS, has asked that Besigye be moved from the public hospital to a private facility where his personal doctor can treat him. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi reported from Nairobi that the family does not trust the government hospital and wants specialized care, but that court permission for a transfer had not been granted. A confidant, Ingrid Turinawe, told The Associated Press that visitors had been barred from seeing him, though his personal physician was later allowed access.

According to Al Jazeera, Besigye collapsed while objecting to being tried without lawyers of his choosing, after authorities detained and charged his lead lawyer, Erias Lukwago. Byanyima said Besigye cried out before collapsing that he was being injured. Besigye, a former ally of President Yoweri Museveni turned prominent critic, was detained with aide Obeid Lutale in Kenya in November 2024 and returned to Uganda, where both were charged with treason.

Besigye’s lawyers, supporters and rights activists say the case is politically driven and part of a wider pressure campaign against Museveni’s opponents. Prosecutors have recently sought to present evidence they say supports allegations of a plot to overthrow the government. Museveni and his son, military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, have publicly criticized Besigye, while Uganda’s opposition continues to dispute the political environment around recent elections.