The Ugandan Government Must Release the Seriously Ill Dr Kizza Besigye

The Ugandan opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, who has been in the custody of the Ugandan security forces since November 2024 to face trumped-up charges before a military tribunal, is seriously ill.

He should immediately be released from this unjust custody and be allowed to receive medical treatment as his condition requires immediate intervention.

According to his wife, Winnie Byanyima, “Dr Besigye is seriously ill and has been denied timely and adequate medical care. Last night (21 January 2026), after a sharp deterioration in his condition, he was rushed to the clinic of his personal doctor, where he was treated and then returned to prison late at night.

“The prison authorities did not inform me of his worsening condition. I learned of it through other means and rushed to the clinic myself during the night. When I saw him, Dr Besigye was extremely weak, shaking, running a high temperature, and suffering from severe abdominal pain.”

Dr Besigye was guarded by six prison officers and a plainclothes military intelligence officer. After treatment he was “bundled into a prison pickup truck, squashed between two warders.”

Winnie is concerned that he is being held by the military and that his medical care is being restricted.

The Platform for African Democrats demands that Dr Besigye be granted immediate high-level medical care and an end to the farcical trial by military tribunal which, like the recently rigged general election, is an assault on democracy.

Issued by: The Platform for African Democrats