Leading Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye appeared in a military court in Kampala yesterday after his reported abduction in Nairobi, his lawyer said.
Besigye, 68, was taken to the General Court Martial in handcuffs and under heavy military escort.
“Besigye has objected to his trial before the General Court Martial and informed the court chairman that he is a civilian who should not be tried in a military court,” his lawyer Erias Lukwago said.
The hearing was briefly adjourned after Besigye told the court he did not have legal representation as he had been held incommunicado.
“As his lawyers, we stepped in to protect his rights but he had not given us a briefing for this particular case and we don’t know the charges he is facing at the moment.”
Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima, who is head of the United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids, said her husband was kidnapped on Saturday while in Nairobi for a book launch by Kenyan opposition politician Martha Karua.
