The Makindye based General Court Martial has further remanded Col Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Abed Lutaale Kamulegeya to tomorrow after declining to pleading to the new charge brought against them by the state.
They face the charge together with Captain Denis Ola. The presided over by Brigadier Robert Freeman Mugabe, will rule on whether it has jurisdiction to try the accused persons, who are jointly charged with treachery on January 14, 2024.
Besigye declined to plead to the fresh charges, questioning the court martial’s jurisdiction to trying civilians for offenses allegedly committed outside Uganda. His lawyers, argue that the General Court Martial lacks territorial jurisdiction to try offenses committed beyond Uganda’s borders.
The chargesheet alleges that the accused committed offenses in Greece, Switzerland, and Kenya, where they were found with guns that are a monopoly of the defense forces. However, Besigye’s lawyers contend that the weapons can only be considered a monopoly in those countries, not Uganda.
Besigye also disputes the manner of his arrest in Kenya and extradition to Uganda, claiming it did not follow due process. The state prosecutors, however, insist that there are inter-state arrangements that allowed for the suspects’ lawful return to Uganda to face trial.
