In brief
The People's Front for Freedom (PFF) has declared that 69-year-old Kizza Besigye's health has critically deteriorated while in detention. His wife claims he suffers from severe dehydration and acute stomach pain, while prison authorities assert he is receiving standard medical care. This situation follows ongoing calls for Besigye's release due to health issues amidst accusations of political persecution.
The health of detained veteran Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has reached a critical and deteriorating state, his party says, after he was taken overnight to a medical facility in the capital, Kampala.
The 69-year-old politician was driven to a private medical facility under heavy security, the People's Front for Freedom (PFF) party said, without specifying what he is suffering from.
However, prison authorities denied that Besigye's health was dire, describing his overnight visit to a doctor as a general check-up.
Besigye, a former personal doctor to President Yoweri Museveni and one of his longest-standing political rivals, has been in detention since November 2024.
The PFF leader was charged in a military court with treason, which carries the death sentence, as well as illegal possession of a firearm and threatening national security. He denies the accusations.
Besigye, who has run for president against Museveni four times, has been in detention with his associate Obeid Lutale since they were both dramatically seized in Kenya and taken back to Uganda.
Last month, a court denied them bail for the fourth time, saying it was too early to release them as they had not yet entered their pleas.
In a statement on Tuesday, the PFF accused Ugandan authorities of denying Besigye proper medical care, noting that his continued detention amounted to a violation of his basic rights.
It is a tragedy that a man who has dedicated his life to the health and freedom of others is being denied his own right to medical dignity, PFF said, adding: We hold the regime and the prison authorities fully accountable for his well-being.
Frank Baine, a spokesman for Uganda's prisons, denied that Besigye's health was critical, saying the opposition figure was under standard medical supervision.
Speaking to a local TV station, Besigye's wife, Winnie Byanyima, said that her husband had complained of acute stomach pain, a high temperature and he was severely dehydrated.
This is not the first time the veteran opposition leader has been taken ill at Luzira Prison, a maximum security jail in Kampala, where he has been held.
There have been increasing calls by his family, opposition, and human rights groups for him to be released on medical grounds. President Museveni has blamed Besigye and his legal team for delays in the trial, which he said has resulted in the PFF's leader's continued detention.
