Detained Ugandan lawyer charged with complicity in treason

A Ugandan opposition lawyer appeared in court Wednesday charged with complicity in treason, after the powerful army chief boasted of his abduction.

Erias Lukwago, a politician and lawyer, appeared at a magistrate’s court in the capital Kampala, looking visibly weak but in good spirits, an AFP journalist saw.

He was charged with failing to report a treason-related plot hatched in neighbouring Kenya between 2021-2024, the prosecution said, and potentially faces life imprisonment if convicted.

Lukwago represents one of President Yoweri Museveni’s chief rivals, Kizza Besigye, who has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024.

The prosecution said Lukwago’s case had been joined with Besigye’s.

Lukwago denied the charges, telling the court: “I am the one who has been counsel in that case. How could I be counsel in a case I am involved in?”

His lawyers have requested bail on medical grounds, with his application hearing adjourned until June 22.

Lukwago’s family said he was abducted by security forces earlier this week.

The powerful army chief, and son of the president, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, then posted pictures of him blindfolded in an unknown location.

“I’m proud of ALL the hurt and pain I will inflict on the CRIMINAL LUKWAGO!” he told his 1.3 million followers on X.

Early Monday, a relative of Lukwago told AFP that “military personnel jumped over the gate and violently bundled him into the van and drove away”.

The army chief is known for his provocative online posts and has boasted of abducting and torturing opposition figures in the past.

On Wednesday, he shared another post, claiming: “Lukwago will be in prison for a minimum of 10 years!”

Rights activist Agather Atuhaire said the Ugandan government “not only breaks the law, commits atrocities like those, but also gloats over them”.