The Bureau of African Affairs has expressed concerns over reports of the abduction and transnational rendition of two civilian political figures, Kizza Besigye and Obeid Lutale.
In a statement on Thursday, the Bureau said there is need for legal protection to the two. The body emphasised the need for transparency and adherence to legal protections in addressing the matter.
“We are closely following the reports. It is important that the circumstances be clarified with transparency and full legal protections,” it said.
Besigye was allegedly ‘abducted’ in Kenya on Saturday and taken to Uganda where his wife said he was held in a military jail.
He appeared before Makindye General Court Martial under a heavily armed military escort on Wednesday.
Taking to the stand, he denied charges including the illegal possession of firearms and negotiating to buy arms abroad.
Besigye was told during the military court hearing, held amid heavy security, that he would remain in custody until December 2.
Besigye – who has contested and lost four presidential elections against President Yoweri Museveni – appeared along with his co-accused, Lutale, who also denied the charges.
The four counts they face include being found with two pistols and ammunition in a hotel in the Kenyan capital and negotiating for arms with foreigners in the Swiss city of Geneva, the Greek capital, Athens, and Nairobi.
Besigye used to be Museveni’s personal doctor but went on to become an opposition leader and has referred the latter, who has been in power since 1986, as a “dictator”.
The Ugandan military has not commented on the incident.
However, the country’s Information Officer Chris Baryomunsi said the Ugandan government does not carry out abductions, and any arrests abroad would be made in collaboration with a host country.
“So being arrested from Kenya should not be a problem. The assurance we give the country is that the [Ugandan] government does not arrest somebody and keeps him or her incommunicado for a long time,” Baryomunsi told Uganda’s public broadcaster.
