KAMPALA – The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has condemned President Museveni’s remarks regarding Dr. Kizza Besigye’s pending trial and his renewed push to abolish bail, denouncing the address as an unconstitutional assault on judicial independence.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The legal body issued a condemnation statement signed by ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde, accusing President Museveni of prejudicing Dr. Besigye’s right to a fair trial by publicly speculating on his motives, conduct, and the case’s merits.
The ULS statement followed Museveni’s national address, in which he questioned Besigye’s refusal to appear in court on treason charges, insisting that the trial would offer him a chance to prove his innocence.
The President further remarked that Besigye, a self-proclaimed democrat and rights advocate, should embrace the courtroom as a platform to expose alleged state injustices rather than evade judicial proceedings.
“Why would Dr. Besigye, a great democrat and human rights fighter, spend so many calories on refusing to come to trial, where he has the opportunity to prove his innocence and expose the undemocratic behavior and dictatorship of Museveni and his family?” President Museveni questioned.
The Uganda Law Society argues that Museveni’s remarks aggravate existing contempt allegations involving the President’s son, which are central to human rights violations that have led to a current stay of proceedings.
The Society rejected the President’s stance on bail as a judicial function beyond executive reach, warning that abolishing bail would violate constitutional guarantees of liberty and the presumption of innocence. It also condemned the address as sub judice contempt.
“We reject the President’s bail stance as executive overreach into judicial matters. A blanket abolition would violate constitutional guarantees of liberty and the presumption of innocence under Articles 23 and 28(3)(a). We also view the President’s comments on Dr. Besigye’s trial as sub judice contempt that undermines the accused’s right to a fair hearing,” stated President Ssemakadde.
The legal body contended that a blanket bail abolition would violate Uganda’s commitments under the UN Tokyo Rules, the Luanda Guidelines, and the UN Basic Principles on Judicial Independence.
The Society argued that international instruments require that pre-trial detention be used only as a last resort and strictly prohibit executive interference in judicial matters.
The Uganda Law Society further asserted that banning bail would fail to safeguard witnesses while unfairly punishing the innocent and concealing systemic shortcomings.
The ULS has since demanded that President Museveni cease all commentary on active cases, including Besigye’s trial, and refrain from influencing bail decisions.
The Society called on the Judiciary to condemn the interference, citing Magistrate Atim’s principled ruling in Uganda v. Miria Matembe as a benchmark for judicial courage.
The ULS further urged the Government to halt attacks on fundamental rights and tackle systemic issues such as judicial decay, political persecution, corruption, weak witness protection, and executive interference.
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