Ugandan opposition members face 'terrorism' charges

Thirty-six members of Uganda's opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), who were charged with terrorism-related offences last month, are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

The group had travelled to the Kenyan city of Kisumu for a training course, according to their lawyers, but were deported back to neighbouring Uganda where authorities charged them with terrorism-related offences.

The Uganda Police Force in a statement accused the suspects of being "engaged in covert activities that are suspected to be subversive, drawing the attention of Kenyan security forces."

The group denied any wrongdoing, their legal representatives said. Lawyer Erias Lukwago criticised the actions of the Ugandan authorities.

"This is an absurd abuse of a judicial process to witch-hunt and torment opposition supporters," he said, claiming that the FDC members had travelled to Kisumu to attend a training seminar.

Ugandan authorities criticised

The court charge sheet accused the 36 people of travelling to Kenya "to provide or receive terrorist training." They are now being held at a prison about 50 kilometres (31 miles) northwest of the capital.

"The only purpose of this charge is to make it difficult for the accused to apply for bail so that they're locked away for months. The charge is just an extension of the physical torture they've endured so far," Lukwago said, referring to allegations of torture and injuries encountered by the group.

Wanjeri Nderu, president of the International Society For Human Rights (ISHR), criticised the arrest of the group on Kenyan soil, highlighting that Kenya doesn't have an extradition treaty with Uganda.

"There was no due process followed or court process where they were maybe arrested doing something, taken through a court process, and then extradited as a request from Uganda to Kenya for them to go and face charges at home. This is what impunity looks like," Nderu told DW.

Critics accuse Museveni of crushing dissent

Opposition critics and human rights campaigners have long accused Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's government of using fabricated charges to clamp down on his opponents — charges that government officials deny.

Under Museveni, who has ruled the country for 38 years, Uganda has descended into a repressive state with a long history of intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of those who are critical of the government.

Ugandan opposition leader, former popstar Bobi Wine, in 2021 requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate rights abuses in Uganda.

Adolf Mbaine, a political analyst at Makerere University, told DW that Museveni's government doesn't treat the opposition fairly, however legitimate the grouping may be.

"The relationship between President Museveni and the political opposition has been fractured over many years. The president doesn't like strong opposition and threats to his hold onto power. And therefore, people involved in the opposition have been mistreated."

During the last presidential election in 2021 — which the opposition claimed was marred by fraud demonstrations against the arrest of Bobi Wine were violently repressed by the security forces, leaving at least 54 people dead.

Uganda has been ruled by Museveni with an iron fist since 1986.

Why Kenya is not considered safe for dissidents

Nderu criticised Kenya's track record of protecting foreigners who are seeking refuge or fleeing political persecution.

"We have a situation where our police system colludes with foreign police systems or militaries to access individuals who are deemed to be threats in their mother countries. So what happened to the 36 Ugandans was very unfortunate," the ISHR president told DW.

"I do not advise even human rights defenders from neighbouring countries to come and hide here because being accessed by the people they were running away from is a huge possibility."

Adolf Mbaine, a political analyst at Makerere University, suggested that the close relationship between Kenyan President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, was likely a factor in the opposition group's deportation.

"If it is true that Ugandan security operatives were involved, then there may have been approval at the level of the presidency for Ugandan security operatives to get involved," Mbaine told DW.

"Because if this was not the case, then the Kenyan government would probably be forthright demanding answers about how this happened."