Opposition leader in Uganda faces further charges that entail the death sentence

Ugandan military prosecutors said Monday that a well-known opposition politician had violated military law, adding a charge of “treachery” that carries the death penalty to the list.

President Yoweri Museveni’s longtime political opponent, Kiiza Besigye, who has been in office for over 40 years, was arrested in neighboring Kenya in November.

He was sent home, where a military court accused him, despite being a civilian, with unlawfully possessing weaponry and compromising the security of the East African nation.

He and his assistant, Obeid Lutale, were arrested and accused together, and they have been jailed in Kampala’s capital ever since.

The executive director of UNAIDS, Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, has stated that the accusations against him are politically driven. His attorneys have dismissed the accusations as unfounded.

Besigye and his co-accused were handed the additional betrayal accusation by a military prosecutor during a court hearing on Monday.

A charge document seen by Reuters claims that Besigye and his co-accused “consciously withheld the said vital information from the proper authorities” despite having knowledge of a scheme to compromise national security.

The additional charge sparked protests from Besigye’s attorneys, who said it went against criminal trial protocols.

Additionally, they objected to the arrest of well-known human rights attorney Eron Kiiza, who is a member of Besigye’s defense team.

During Besigye’s most recent court appearance on January 7, Kiiza was found guilty of contempt of court following a fight with court orderlies and given a nine-month jail term.

The human rights organization Amnesty International, based in London, has called Kiiza’s imprisonment and incarceration “ludicrous” and called for his release.

Previously Museveni’s personal doctor and ally, Besigye and Museveni had a falling out. Besigye faced Museveni in four presidential elections but lost. All of the ballots’ outcomes were rejected by him due to purported anomalies.

The administration of Museveni has been charged by human rights groups with extensive violations of human rights, such as arbitrary imprisonment and torture. The administration has dismissed claims of violations of human rights and electoral fraud on several occasions.