Veteran Ugandan opposition politician collapses in court and is in ICU, his wife says

What the report says

BBC Africa reports that Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has been taken to an intensive care unit in Kampala after collapsing during a High Court hearing in his treason case. His wife, Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAids, said on X that the 70-year-old was unconscious, unable to speak and not responding to pain. Besigye has been detained since November 2024.

According to the BBC, Besigye appeared frail in court and was objecting to the appointment of state lawyers to represent him when he collapsed. Witnesses said he repeatedly shouted for the process to stop before prison guards moved him to hospital. Byanyima said his sister, Olive Kobusingye, a doctor, was present in court but was initially not allowed to attend to him. He was later taken to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where the BBC reported the ICU area was under heavy security.

Besigye and his aide, Obeid Lutale, deny treason charges. Prosecutors allege they plotted to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni’s government. Treason is a capital offence in Uganda and can carry a death sentence upon conviction. The BBC also reports that Besigye’s lead lawyer, Erias Lukwago, is in jail after being seized by the army last month, while Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua was recently denied entry to Uganda when she sought to represent him.

Besigye, a former Museveni ally and personal doctor, later became one of Uganda’s best-known opposition leaders and ran against Museveni four times. His son has appealed for his release on humanitarian grounds, while opposition politician Bobi Wine criticised his appearance in court while unwell as a rights violation.