Uganda: Besigye, Lutale Fail to Appear As Treason Case Hearing Stalls

The hearing of a treason case involving opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Obeid Lutale, was thrown into uncertainty on Thursday after the two failed to appear before the High Court.

Proceedings, which had been scheduled to begin at 9am, were delayed for several hours as supporters, lawyers and members of the public waited for the case to be called.

As the delay stretched on, some people inside the courtroom expressed frustration, while others sang songs as they awaited the start of proceedings.

When court eventually convened, only the third accused, Captain Denis Oola, was present in the dock.

The absence of Besigye and Lutale immediately became a key issue before Justice Emmanuel Baguma.

Lead defence lawyer Martha Karua informed the court that her clients had not been produced and argued that proceedings in a matter of such gravity could not lawfully continue in their absence unless they had expressly consented to be tried without being present.

Karua, a senior Kenyan lawyer, further submitted that prison authorities had an obligation to explain the whereabouts of the accused persons and the circumstances under which they had failed to appear before court.

Responding to the concerns, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Hiirwe Emmanuel told the court that Besigye and Lutale had not attended the hearing because of issues that remained unresolved between the court and their legal representatives.

However, he did not immediately provide further details regarding the nature of those issues.

The unexpected absence of the two accused added a fresh twist to a case that has attracted significant public and political interest since charges were brought against the trio.

Supporters of Besigye and other observers have closely followed developments in the case, with many turning up at court to witness the proceedings.

The court was left to consider the legal implications of the absence of the accused persons, as well as the arguments advanced by the defence regarding whether the hearing could proceed without them.

The matter remains one of the most closely watched cases before Uganda's courts, given Besigye's prominence in the country's political landscape and the seriousness of the charges facing the accused.

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