Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, the runner-up to President Yoweri Museveni in the February 2016 president election, has been formally charged with treason at Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala.
Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, who contested the presidency under the Forum for Democratic Change, appeared before Chief Magistrate James Eremu Mawanda Wednesday.
The Prosecution informed the court that investigations into the case were incomplete and the Magistrate sent Besigye on remand to Luzira Prison until June 1, 2016.
From the dock, Besigye told the Magistrate: “I have been persecuted for over five years and I have been charged with 50 offences but I have not been given a chance to defend myself.”
He added that after the February general election, he was placed under illegal detention for more than 40 days in an un-gazzetted place.
Section 23 of Uganda’s Penal Code Act states that a person charged with treason suffers death upon conviction. – bernama
