Besigye rejects court-appointed lawyers in ongoing treason case

Besigye rejects court-appointed lawyers in ongoing treason case
Besigye rejects court-appointed lawyers in ongoing treason case - Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, alongside his aide Obeid Lutale, when they appeared at the High Court in Kampala on February 19, 2025. (Photo: X/Bobi Wine)
Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, alongside his aide Obeid Lutale, when they appeared at the High Court in Kampala on February 19, 2025. (Photo: X/Bobi Wine)

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Besigye told the High Court Criminal Division in Kampala that he remained committed to the lawyers he had personally selected and could not choose from a court-provided panel without sufficient information.

Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye on Wednesday refused to proceed with lawyers proposed by the High Court, deepening a dispute over legal representation that has stalled his treason trial since proceedings shifted from a military to a civilian court.
Reports indicate that Besigye told the High Court Criminal Division in Kampala that he remained committed to the lawyers he had personally selected and could not choose from a court-provided panel without sufficient information about the advocates’ experience and suitability for the case.
The latest impasse follows disruptions to his original defence team, with former Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago, one of his lead lawyers, having been arrested last month, while Kenyan advocate Martha Karua was prevented from entering Uganda to participate in the case.

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With his preferred lawyers unavailable, the court directed the authorities to provide Besigye and his co-accused, Hajji Obeid Lutale, with a list of 786 advocates from the State Brief panel for consideration. However, Besigye told Justice Emmanuel Baguma that the information supplied on the lawyers was not enough to enable him to make an informed decision.
"This does not disclose their competencies," Besigye said on Wednesday, according to ChimpReports, arguing that the list only contained basic details such as names, years of enrolment, areas of practice and contacts.
Further, Besigye maintained that the charges before the court were complex and required legal representation from advocates whose expertise matched the demands of the case.

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"The legal team we had is one in whose competence we placed full confidence," Besigye said, maintaining that his original lawyers remained willing to represent him once concerns surrounding their participation were resolved.
The Ugandan opposition politician also questioned the need for state-funded representation, saying he and Lutale were capable of meeting the cost of their own defence.
The court had earlier warned that failure by the accused to select lawyers from the State Brief list could result in the appointment of counsel on their behalf under constitutional provisions on access to legal representation. Justice Baguma subsequently gave Besigye two weeks to consider the available options and adjourned the matter to July 29.
Besigye has been in detention since late 2024 after he was reportedly abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda. He was initially tried before a military court on account of his former status as a military officer, but the case was later transferred to the High Court after Uganda's Supreme Court ruled that civilians could not be tried in military courts.

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