Uganda opposition lawyer charged in treason-related case after arrest

A lawyer representing detained Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has been charged with a treason-related offence after being arrested at home and taken to court in Kampala. Erias Lukwago, a former mayor, appeared before a magistrate visibly weak, according to local media reports, and denied the charge of failure to report treason. He was remanded in prison until next week, when the case is due to be heard.

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The arrest on Monday drew condemnation after Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's military chief and son of President Yoweri Museveni, boasted about it on social media. Bobi Wine, an opposition politician who left the country after contesting the January presidential election, alleged that Lukwago had been detained on Kainerugaba's orders while preparing to serve a court summons on him. Lukwago's family also went to court seeking an order requiring security officers to disclose his whereabouts and release him, whether dead or alive.

The family said Kainerugaba had claimed responsibility for Lukwago's seizure and had boasted online about mistreating him. On social media, Kainerugaba shared photos appearing to show Lukwago blindfolded in an unknown location. In another post, he said he was proud of the pain he would inflict on Lukwago.

Kainerugaba has previously faced criticism for controversial posts and for boasting about abducting and torturing opposition figures. The case is the latest development in a wider confrontation between Uganda's security establishment and opposition figures. Lukwago has been representing Besigye, who has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in neighbouring Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024.

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Besigye is a long-standing opponent of President Museveni and has challenged him in several presidential elections. He was once Museveni's personal doctor before breaking ranks in 1999, and has been detained multiple times since then. The new charge against Lukwago adds to concerns about the treatment of opposition lawyers and supporters in a politically sensitive case.

It also raises questions about the role of senior security figures in public commentary on arrests and detentions. The allegations made by Lukwago's family and by opposition politicians have not been independently verified in the supplied material. What happens next will depend on the hearing scheduled for next week and on whether the court addresses the family's request for disclosure of Lukwago's whereabouts and release.

It remains unclear what evidence prosecutors will present in the treason-related case and whether any further charges will follow. The case is likely to remain closely watched because it sits at the intersection of opposition politics, military influence and the courts.

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