On Friday, Dr. Kizza Besigye appeared in court, looking visibly frail and weak due to his ongoing hunger strike.
The veteran opposition leader, struggled to stand for long periods and appeared physically exhausted.
His legal team, led by Erias Lukwago, expressed deep concern over his deteriorating health, arguing that his continued detention under such conditions was inhumane and unjust.
“What we are witnessing here is a clear violation of Dr. Besigye’s rights. He is being subjected to conditions that are slowly breaking his health, yet the authorities remain indifferent,” Mr. Lukwago said.
The magistrate acknowledged the concerns raised by Besigye’s legal team but did not issue an immediate ruling on his release.
News of Dr. Kizza Besigye’s hunger strike has been circulating since Tuesday when his wife, Winnie Byanyima, announced on X that her husband, currently in Luzira Maximum Security Prison, had begun the protest.
Ms. Byanyima stated that Dr. Besigye was protesting against his continued illegal detention.
“Kizza Besigye is on hunger strike, detained illegally by a regime that fears his defiance more than it respects the law. This is not just an attack on him—it is an attack on every Ugandan who dares to demand justice. They think they can break his spirit, but they underestimate his resolve,” she posted.
Speaking to international media, Ms. Byanyima explained that Dr. Besigye has always resisted injustice in whatever way possible. Now, without the freedom to protest by marching, he is using his body instead.
“Being who he is, he doesn’t just sit there and accept injustice. If he can’t walk and protest, the only tool he has left is his body,” she said.
This was confirmed by Mr. Erias Lukwago, Dr. Besigye’s lawyer, who visited him on Wednesday.
“After the Supreme Court judgement on January 31, he was disgusted by the ongoing impunity and lost his appetite. He is not interested in their food,” Mr. Lukwago said in a phone call yesterday.
He expressed concerns over Dr. Besigye’s health and urged the prison authorities to release him, as his remand warrant from the court martial had expired. However, this publication could not independently verify whether Dr. Besigye was indeed on a hunger strike.
Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine, when contacted yesterday, stated that the authorities were unaware of any hunger strike, asserting that Dr. Besigye had been eating his meals.
“I don’t know about any hunger strike. He has been eating, unless he started today [Thursday]. I haven’t heard from him today, but he has not been on hunger strike,” Mr. Baine said.
