Uganda’s veteran opposition leader, Kizza Besigye on Monday boycotted the opening of his treason trial, accusing the presiding judge of bias.
Besigye, who has unsuccessfully challenged President Yoweri Museveni in four elections, faces treason charges that carry the death penalty, following his abduction in Kenya last November and subsequent detention in Uganda.
His lawyer, Erias Lukwago, said Besigye and his co-accused, Obeid Lutale, declined to appear before High Court judge Emmanuel Baguma.
“The two have applied to the court to have Judge Emmanuel Baguma recuse himself from the case but he has refused and they have taken a decision not to appear before him until another judge is appointed,” Lukwago said.
The two say the judge is biased because he rejected their bail applications. According to Lukwago, they believe they will not receive a fair hearing under him.
Lawyer Kato Tumusiime added that Besigye and Lutale had issued “clear instructions” to their legal team not to attend proceedings before Justice Baguma.
The legal dispute stems from a ruling that extended their detention.
While the law allows detention without trial for a maximum of six months, Justice Baguma last month declared that the period began in February when the charges were officially read, rather than from November when Besigye was abducted and confined in a military facility.
Their lawyer earlier described the decision as “absurd.”
Besigye, 69, was seized in Nairobi after attending a book launch by Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua.
He was last seen in Westlands before being transported across the border to Uganda and locked up in a military prison, where he has remained since. He was later charged with treason alongside his aide, Hajj Lutale.
His detention has drawn widespread condemnation. In June, his wife Winnie Byanyima, the UNAIDS executive director, said he was being held “for political reasons” under “inhumane” conditions.
Rights groups have linked his trial to next year’s election in which Museveni, 80, is expected to seek another term in office.
Besigye’s case was first brought before a military court before being transferred to a civilian court after the Supreme Court ruled that trying civilians in military courts was unconstitutional.
However, Museveni later signed a law reinstating military trials for civilians in what he described as “exceptional circumstances.”
