Uganda plans law to allow military prosecution of civilians

The Ugandan government intends to introduce a law to allow military tribunals to try civilians for certain offences even after the practice was banned by the Supreme Court.

Human rights activists and opposition politicians have long accused President Yoweri Museveni's government of using military courts to prosecute opposition leaders and supporters on politically motivated charges. The government denies the accusations.

In January of 2024 Uganda's Supreme Court delivered a ruling that bans the military from trying civilians.

That decision forced the government to transfer the trial of opposition politician and former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye to civilian courts.

Besigye, a veteran political rival of Museveni, has been in detention for nearly five months on what his lawyers say are politically motivated charges.

He was detained in neighbouring Kenya in November and subsequently transferred to Uganda, where he was charged in a military court-martial with illegal possession of firearms among other offences.

Over a year later Besigye could be facing military prosecutors once again because of the new law the government plans to introduce.

The draft is now awaiting the greenlight from the cabinet before it’s  introduced in parliament Human rights groups and opposition leaders are sounding the alarm over the legislation.

They fear the government will use the law to target political opponents and stifle dissent.