Source: Amnesty International –
Ugandan authorities are using military courts to target critics and perceived opponents of the government. In the most recent high-profile case, on November 16, 2024, opposition politician Dr.Kizza Besigye and his aide Obeid Lutale were abducted in Nairobi, Kenya. Four days later, they resurfaced in Uganda’s capital Kampala where they were arraigned in a military court on security related charges.
On 7 January, human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza was arrested then summarily convicted of “contempt of court” and sentenced after soldiers prevented him from accessing the military court’s section where his client Dr. Besigye was being arraigned. He spent 88 days in arbitrary detention – preventing him from representing his client. During his detention, Lawyer Eron Kiiza says he was a tortured – until the High Court of Uganda granted him bail on 4 April.
We spoke to him to understand what it is like being a human rights lawyer in Uganda during such a turbulent time.