KAMPALA – The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) have expressed grave concern over the summary conviction and sentencing of Ugandan human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza to nine months imprisonment for contempt of court. This verdict was handed down by the General Court Martial, a Ugandan military tribunal, on January 7, 2025.
Eron Kiiza was arrested while attending to his client, Dr. Kizza Besigye, a physician and opposition leader, who has been charged with security offenses and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Kiiza’s arrest occurred after he was blocked by a soldier from accessing the bar to join other defense counsel. A heated exchange ensued, leading to his violent arrest and detention in the dock with his clients.
“The circumstances of Advocate Kiiza’s arrest, detention, and summary conviction by a military tribunal, raise grave concerns regarding his right to liberty and his right to a fair hearing, protected under Articles 23, 28, and 44 of the Ugandan Constitution,” they said in a statement. “We call upon the Ugandan authorities to take urgent action to review Advocate Kiiza’s conviction and sentence, and to ensure that his subsequent proceedings are conducted in accordance with international fair trial standards.”
Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) also expressed their concern over Kiiza’s conviction, stating that “the blocking of Advocate Kiiza from representing his client and conducting his professional duties as a legal practitioner, seemingly associating him with his client’s cause, and his subsequent violent arrest and summary conviction by a military tribunal as a civilian, also raise concerns of contraventions of the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, and the UN Principles Governing the Administration of Justice Through Military Tribunals.”
“The UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers provide that lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their functions.” “We urge the Ugandan authorities to respect Advocate Kiiza’s rights as a legal practitioner and to ensure that he is able to continue representing his clients without fear of intimidation or harassment.”
IBAHRI and L4L have called upon the Ugandan authorities to take urgent action to review Kiiza’s conviction and sentence. They also urge the Ugandan judiciary to respect the rule of law and ensure that Kiiza’s subsequent proceedings adhere to international fair trial standards.
Furthermore, IBAHRI and L4L express their solidarity with all those working to challenge the legality of Advocate Kiiza’s arrest, prosecution, conviction, and sentence. They also call upon the Ugandan judiciary to respect the rule of law and determine Advocate Kiiza’s subsequent proceedings in accordance with international fair trial standards.
In addition, IBAHRI and L4L express their solidarity with those exercising their constitutional rights to peacefully protest against Advocate Kiiza’s conviction and imprisonment. They call upon the law enforcement authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and to refrain from using excessive force against protesters.
Finally, IBAHRI and L4L call upon the Supreme Court to expeditiously deliver its long-awaited judgment in the case of Attorney General vs. Michael Kazibaguruka, pending which the execution of the Constitutional Court decision prohibiting the trial of civilians in military tribunals has been stayed.
