Ugandan Opposition Leader Besigye on Hunger Strike, Says Wife
(Based on reporting by Reuters)
Kizza Besigye, a well-known opposition leader in Uganda, has started a hunger strike while being held in jail, according to his wife, Winnie Byanyima. Besigye is currently on trial in a military court, even though Uganda’s Supreme Court recently ruled that civilians cannot be tried in military courts.
President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for decades, said his government will continue to use military courts to prosecute civilians, ignoring the court’s decision. However, a spokesperson for Uganda’s prisons denied that Besigye is on hunger strike, telling Reuters, “Besigye is OK and he is not on a hunger strike.”
Besigye was arrested in Kenya in November, in what a Kenyan official called an “abduction.” He was brought back to Uganda and charged with illegal possession of firearms and treason, which could lead to the death penalty.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, who heads the United Nations agency UNAIDS, posted on social media that Besigye is refusing food to protest his illegal detention. She said the government fears his defiance and is trying to break his spirit, but he remains strong.
Besigye was once Museveni’s personal doctor during a war in the 1980s, but the two later became political rivals. Besigye has run against Museveni in four presidential elections, losing each time. He has always rejected the results, claiming the elections were unfair, but the government denies this.
Human rights groups have accused Museveni’s government of abuses, including torture and illegal detentions. The government denies these claims.
This situation highlights the ongoing political tensions in Uganda, where opposition figures like Besigye face harsh treatment for challenging the government.
(This summary is based on original reporting by Reuters.)