The Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court has issued a production warrant to Luzira Prison, ordering the immediate presentation of veteran opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye and his political aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale, before the court.
The warrant, dated May 22, instructs the officer in charge of Upper Luzira Prison to ensure the two detainees appear before the Chief Magistrate at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 23, 2025.
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“You are hereby directed to produce Rtd. Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajj Lutale before the Chief Magistrate of Nakawa at 9:00 a.m. on the 23rd of May 2025,” the order, signed by the Chief Magistrate, states in part.
This development comes just a day after the same court had further remanded the pair until May 29.
On Wednesday, the accused appeared in court, but the Chief Magistrate was unavailable. A Grade One Magistrate was instead sent to adjourn the matter, despite defense lawyers having intended to present critical arguments.
Erias Lukwago, one of Dr. Besigye’s lawyers, said he was ready to argue for their release on mandatory bail—a legal provision allowing unconditional bail if a suspect has spent over six months in remand without formal trial proceedings being initiated by the state.
Meanwhile, the prosecution had also signaled its intention to amend the charge sheet.
Dr. Besigye and Hajj Lutale have now been on remand for over six months following their arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024, where they had traveled to attend a book launch by former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua.
Initially charged with security-related offenses—including alleged unlawful possession of military items—before the General Court Martial in Makindye, the duo were later transferred to a civilian court after a January 31 Supreme Court ruling deemed it unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts. They now face treason charges in Nakawa Court.
However, investigations remain incomplete, with prosecutors citing the cross-border nature of the alleged offenses, which they say occurred in countries such as Switzerland, Greece, and Kenya, as well as within Uganda.
This marks the longest continuous detention of Dr. Besigye in his two-decade history of arrests and court battles.
Prosecutors allege that Dr. Besigye, Hajj Lutale, Capt. Denis Oola, and others still at large plotted between 2023 and November 2024 to overthrow the Ugandan government using force.
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