Latest news with #militarytribunals
Reuters
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Uganda leader signs law reintroducing military trials of civilians
KAMPALA, June 16 (Reuters) - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed legislation that allows military tribunals to try civilians, parliament said on Monday, a move opposition leaders said violates a Supreme Court ruling. Rights campaigners have long alleged that the government has used military courts to persecute political opponents of Museveni, who has been in power for almost 40 years. His aides have denied this, saying only civilians who use guns for political violence are prosecuted in such tribunals. In a ruling earlier this year, the East African country's Supreme Court banned the practice, calling it unconstitutional. It had been based on previous legislation that was challenged in lower courts. Museveni's government subsequently introduced new legislation seeking to restore the prosecutions and parliament subsequently passed it last month. "President @KagutaMuseveni has assented to The Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (Amendment) Act, 2025," parliament said in a post on the X platform. After the bill's passage, the army's spokesperson praised it, saying it would "deter the formation of militant political groups that seek to subvert democratic processes". The opposition says the new law violates the Supreme Court verdict. Ugandan courts could intervene again if they receive a citizens' petition against the legislation. The earlier top court verdict forced authorities to transfer the military trial of a major opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, for alleged offences including treason, to a civilian court. Pop star-turned politician Bobi Wine, Uganda's biggest opposition figure, is preparing to challenge Museveni in next year's election. He was once charged in a military tribunal over illegal possession of guns but the charges were later dropped.
Al Jazeera
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Uganda confirms military trials for civilians despite Supreme Court ruling
Uganda's parliament has passed a controversial bill authorising military tribunals for civilians, drawing condemnation from opposition figures and rights groups, who accuse the government of trying to silence opponents, which it denies. The practice has long been used in Uganda, but was struck down by the country's top court in January. The Supreme Court had ruled that the military tribunals lacked legal competence to try civilians and failed to meet fair trial standards. Despite that ruling, lawmakers moved ahead Tuesday with the legislation, which permits civilians to be tried in military courts. 'Today, you proved you are fearless patriots! Uganda will remember your courage and commitment,' said General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, head of the military and son of President Yoweri Museveni, in a post on X. Earlier this month, Kainerugaba said that he was holding a missing opposition activist in his basement and threatened violence against him, after the man's party said he was abducted. Museveni's government has frequently defended military trials as necessary for national security amid concerns about armed opposition and alleged threats to state stability. Military spokesperson Chris Magezi said the legislation would 'deal decisively with armed violent criminals, deter the formation of militant political groups that seek to subvert democratic processes, and ensure national security is bound on a firm foundational base'. But critics say the move is part of a broader pattern of repression. 'There's no legal basis to provide for the trial of civilians in the military court,' opposition MP Jonathan Odur told parliament during debate on the bill. He described the legislation as 'shallow, unreasonable and unconstitutional'. Uganda has for years used military courts to prosecute opposition politicians and government critics. In 2018, pop star-turned-opposition-leader Bobi Wine was charged in a military court with illegal possession of firearms. The charges were later dropped. Kizza Besigye, a veteran opposition figure who has challenged Museveni in multiple elections, was arrested in Kenya last year and returned to Uganda to face a military tribunal. Following the Supreme Court's January ruling, his trial was moved to a civilian court. His party, the People's Front for Freedom (PFF), has denounced the charges as politically motivated. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has previously criticised Uganda's military courts for failing to meet international standards of judicial independence and fairness. Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at HRW, said earlier this year: 'The Ugandan authorities have for years misused military courts to crack down on opponents and critics'.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Uganda passes law to restore military prosecutions of civilians
KAMPALA, May 20 (Reuters) - Uganda's parliament on Tuesday passed an amended law that permits military tribunals to try civilians, prompting protests from the opposition who said the move violated a Supreme Court ruling in January that banned such trials. The practice, in use for the last two decades, has long been criticised by opposition politicians and rights campaigners who accuse the government of using courts martial to silence opponents, which it denies. In a post on the X platform, parliament said the legislation had been passed. The head of the military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, praised the speaker of parliament and government lawmakers for passing the bill. "Today, you proved you are fearless patriots! Uganda will remember your courage and commitment," he said on X. Military spokesman Chris Magezi said the law "will deal decisively with armed violent criminals, deter the formation of militant political groups that seek to subvert democratic processes, and ensure national security is bound on a firm foundational base." During a debate on the law, opposition politician Jonathan Odur, said the legislation was "shallow, unreasonable and unconstitutional." "There's no legal basis to provide for trial of civilians in the military court." The next step will be for President Yoweri Museveni to approve the law for it to take effect. In a ruling in January, Uganda's Supreme Court forbade military trials of civilians, saying the tribunals lacked legal competence to handle criminal trials in a fair and impartial manner. The verdict forced authorities to transfer the trial of a major opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who was undergoing military prosecution for offences including treason, to a civilian court. Besigye, who has previously challenged incumbent Museveni four times in elections, was detained in neighbouring Kenya last year and brought to Uganda to face a military court. His lawyers and his party, the People's Front for Freedom (PFF), have called the charges politically motivated. Opposition leader Bobi Wine was also in 2018 charged in a military court for alleged illegal possession of firearms although the charges against the pop star-turned-politician were later dropped. Human Rights Watch has previously criticised Uganda's military courts, saying they did not meet international judicial standards of competence, independence and impartiality. The courts also routinely use evidence extracted through torture of defendants while also ignoring other key fair trial rules, the rights group said. The military denies the accusations.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Uganda's parliament introduces bill to let military courts try civilians
KAMPALA, May 13 (Reuters) - The Ugandan government introduced a bill in parliament on Tuesday that would allow military tribunals to prosecute civilians, months after the country's Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional. The top court's January verdict forced the government to transfer the trial of opposition politician and former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye to a civilian court, where state prosecutors have charged him with several crimes including treason. Political allies and lawyers for Besigye, who has lost to President Yoweri Museveni in four elections, say the accusations are politically motivated. Minister of Defence Jacob Marksons Oboth introduced the "Uganda People's Defence Forces Bill, 2025" on the floor of the House on Tuesday, where it was referred to a House committee for scrutiny. Civilians may be tried under military law in exceptional circumstances, such as when they are in "unlawful possession of arms, ammunition or equipment ordinarily being the monopoly of the defence forces," according to the draft law seen by Reuters. Besigye was forcefully removed from the Kenyan capital Nairobi in November, and presented in a military court in neighbouring Uganda a few days later, where he was charged with offences including the illegal possession of firearms. Kenya's government denied involvement in what it called Besigye's abduction. The new bill also includes crimes of abetting or aiding a soldier to commit crimes including treason, murder and aggravated robbery, among others. Human rights activists and opposition politicians have long accused Museveni's government of using military courts to prosecute opposition leaders and supporters on politically motivated charges. The new law will be used to "persecute regime opponents and deal with the growing resistance against the regime," said David Lewis Rubongoya from the National Unity Platform (NUP), Uganda's largest opposition party. Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NUP's leader Bobi Wine said on Friday he plans to contest the presidential ballot due in January, in which Museveni is widely expected to seek reelection.
