PAD CONDEMNS THREE CASES OF UNJUST PROSECUTION
PAD CONDEMNS THREE CASES OF UNJUST PROSECUTION
Statement of PAD leaders meeting in Stellenbosch
24 May 2026
The prosecution of opposition leaders who are fighting to democratise their countries has become a feature of African autocracies, intent on destroying democratic practices in favour of extending their rule through repression.
There are many cases, but three in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda stand out as flagrant abuses of court proceedings to unjustly prosecute leaders.
The treason trial of Tanzania’s Tundu Lissu has been taking place for over 400 days. His crime was to call for constitutional and electoral reforms ahead of the October 2025 election. His party, Chadema, was barred from participating in those elections, which were openly rigged. Bereft of credible evidence and the appearance of secret witnesses in a special enclosed cell, the trial has made a mockery of legal practice.
Lissu, who was hit by 16 bullets in a failed assassination attempt in 2017, has been unable to have the medical treatment he requires as a result of this brutal assault since his trial began.
In Uganda, Dr Kizza Besigye is being tried in a military court after his arrest in November 2024 – more than 540 days ago. Dr Besigye was prevented from participating in Uganda’s rigged election of January 2025, which saw the leading opposition figure, Bobi Wine, denied victory in a rigged election. Wine has since fled the country, fearing for his life. Dr Besigye’s trial, which began as a military tribunal, follows a familiar pattern. The state has attempted to get witnesses to testify in secret and has dragged the trial on despite Dr Besigye’s poor health.
In Rwanda, opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was arrested in June 2026 on the farcical charge of creating a criminal organisation and inciting public disorder because she challenged the ongoing trial of other opposition activists. Along with nine members of her political party, the Development and Liberty for All (Développement et Liberté pour tous or Dalfa-Umurinzi), she has been charged with establishing or joining a criminal organisation, inciting public unrest or disturbances and various other offences, all of which she denies.
Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda present themselves as progressive countries that embrace democracy in one or another form. The reality is that these countries are led by increasingly tyrannical authoritarians that have no tolerance of opposition and are willing to abuse their courts to remove those who criticize them from public life.
This lawfare against democracy is condemned in the strongest possible terms by democratic African leaders who are trying to build a continent where accountability, the rule of law and the respect for human dignity are paramount.
We call on the international community to join us in demanding the cessation of these farcical legal proceedings and the immediate release of these leaders. We call on the authorities to see to it that proper medical attention is provided to Tundu Lissu and Dr Kizza Besigye, who are ill and require regular medical treatment.
These developments in the East Africa region should be of great concern for those who count themselves among its leaders, particularly with ongoing instability in Somalia,
Sudan and Ethiopia. The leadership that addresses democratic regression and the erosion in the rule of law will place itself on the right side of history.
The fight for democracy in Africa cannot be stopped by the actions of tyrants determined to hold onto power.
Signed on behalf of the Platform for African Democrats
Seretse Khama Ian Khama
Former President of the Republic of Botswana