Uganda charges opposition lawyer Erias Lukwago with concealing treason
A court in Uganda has charged Erias Lukwago, a prominent lawyer for jailed opposition leader Kizza Besigye, with concealing treason, escalating a confrontation between government critics and the country's military leadership.
Lukwago was brought before a magistrate's court in the capital, Kampala, and charged with "misprision of treason" — an offence that stems from an alleged failure to report acts of treason by others. The charge came days after he was seized and taken into custody on the orders of army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni.
Lukwago is the president of the People's Front for Freedom opposition group and acts as an attorney for Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate who is jailed on treason charges in a separate case that his supporters say is politically motivated. Before his arrest, Lukwago had told reporters he intended to hold the army chief accountable for alleged abuses against Besigye.
Those allegations include Besigye's abduction in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in November 2024 and his subsequent detention in Uganda without bail. Critics say the cases form part of a wider pattern of pressure on opposition figures ahead of and after national elections.
The Uganda Law Society demanded Lukwago's immediate release, describing his arrest as contemptuous of court processes and a threat to the independence of the legal profession. The case adds to longstanding concerns among rights groups about the treatment of dissent in Uganda, where Museveni has held power since 1986.
