The well being of detained veteran Ugandan opposition determine Kizza Besigye has “reached a crucial and deteriorating state”, his social gathering says, after he was taken in a single day to a medical facility within the capital, Kampala.
The 69-year-old politician was pushed to a personal medical facility below “heavy safety”, the Individuals’s Entrance for Freedom (PFF) social gathering mentioned, with out specifying what he’s affected by.
Nonetheless, jail authorities denied that Besigye’s well being was dire, describing his in a single day go to to a health care provider as a “normal check-up”.
Besigye, a former private physician to President Yoweri Museveni and one in every of his longest-standing political rivals, has been in detention since November 2024.
The PFF chief was charged in a army courtroom with treason, which carries the dying sentence, in addition to unlawful possession of a firearm and threatening nationwide safety. He denies the accusations.
Besigye, who has run for president towards Museveni 4 instances, has been in detention together with his affiliate Obeid Lutale since they had been each dramatically seized in Kenya and brought again to Uganda.
Final month, a courtroom denied them bail for the fourth time, saying it was too early to launch them as that they had not but entered their pleas.
In a press release on Tuesday, the PFF accused Ugandan authorities of denying Besigye correct medical care, noting that his continued detention amounted to a violation of his primary rights.
“It’s a tragedy {that a} man who has devoted his life to the well being and freedom of others is being denied his personal proper to medical dignity,” the PFF mentioned, including: “We maintain the regime and the jail authorities totally accountable for his well-being.”
Frank Baine, a spokesman for Uganda’s prisons, denied that Besigye’s well being was crucial, saying the opposition determine was below commonplace medical supervision.
“Kizza Besigye receives crucial therapy like different prisoners and he’s effective,” Baine mentioned, including: “This morning he was doing his workout routines.”
However the PFF described Baine’s remarks as a “blatant try and masks the bodily toll” of Besigye’s continued detention, insisting: “Our chief is critically unwell.”
It demanded that Besigye’s private docs and household be granted quick and unrestricted entry to him, to allow them to present specialised and unbiased medical care.
In a press release despatched to the BBC, Besigye’s spouse, Winnie Byanyima, mentioned that her husband had complained of acute abdomen ache, a excessive temperature and he was severely dehydrated. ”Dr Besigye is critically unwell and has been denied well timed and ample medical care,” she mentioned.
”Final night time, after a pointy deterioration in his situation, he was rushed to the clinic of his private physician, the place he was handled after which returned to jail late at night time,” added Byanyima, who’s a revered human rights advocate and head of UNAids.
One other opposition chief, Bobi Wine, has expressed concern over Besigye’s well being whereas in detention, saying his situation seems to be deteriorating amid restricted entry to medical care.
“We stand totally in solidarity with him and pray for his restoration,” Wine mentioned in a put up on X.
This isn’t the primary time the veteran opposition chief has been taken unwell at Luzira Jail, a most safety jail in Kampala, the place he has been held.
Final February, Besigye was additionally reported critically unwell after he went on starvation strike demanding justice.
Besigye, who final contested the presidency in 2016, has beforehand accused the authorities of political persecution.
In recent times he has been much less energetic in politics and didn’t contest the overall election earlier this month.
There have been growing calls by his household, opposition and human rights teams for him to be launched on medical grounds.
President Museveni has blamed Besigye and his authorized crew for the delays within the trial, which he mentioned had resulted within the PFF’s chief’s continued detention.
Museveni, who has held energy since 1986, was on Saturday declared the winner of final week’s presidential election with 72% of the vote.
His closest challenger Wine, whose actual identify is Robert Kyagulanyi, bought 25%.
Wine rejected the outcomes as “faux” and has gone into hiding citing threats towards his life.