Blitz Bureau
KAMPALA: Uganda’s highest court has declared that the trial of civilians in military courts is unconstitutional, ordering an immediate halt to any ongoing prosecutions, reported africanews.com.
The decision, said the news portal, brings relief to prominent Opposition leader KizzaBesigye, who has been facing trial in the military’s general court martial.
His attorney, EriasLukwago, confirmed that Besigye will not appear in court as previously planned. Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo stated that all charges and ongoing criminal trials involving civilians in military courts must cease immediately. He emphasised that these cases should be transferred to civilian courts.
Besigye, a long-time critic of President YoweriMuseveni, was arrested in Kenya last November and later returned to Uganda, where he faced multiple charges related to firearms and security, some of which could result in the death penalty. He has been held in a maximumsecurity facility in Kampala. The court had earlier dismissed arguments from Besigye’s legal team questioning its authority to try civilians.
Owiny-Dollo noted that military courts lack the legal capacity to conduct fair and impartial criminal trials as mandated by the Constitution. Justice Elizabeth Musoke, another member of the panel, pointed out that military courts are only authorised to deal with disciplinary matters concerning military personnel.
