Detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye is unconscious and receiving treatment in an intensive care unit after collapsing during a court appearance, according to his wife, Winnie Byanyima.
Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS, said Besigye was admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital after collapsing in court on Wednesday. In a statement posted on X, she said he was unconscious, unable to speak and unresponsive to pain stimuli. Ugandan authorities had not publicly commented on his condition at the time of reporting.
Besigye, 70, has been in detention since his arrest in neighboring Kenya in November 2024 alongside his aide, Obeid Lutale. The pair were returned to Uganda and charged with treason, an offense that carries the death penalty under Ugandan law. Both have denied the charges.
The opposition leader collapsed during a court session in which he objected to the proceedings, arguing that he had been denied legal representation of his choice after one of his lawyers, Erias Lukwago, was detained and charged with allegedly failing to report acts of treason.
Besigye’s prosecution has drawn criticism from opposition groups and human rights organizations, which argue that the case reflects broader concerns about political freedoms and due process in Uganda. Authorities maintain the legal process is being conducted in accordance with the law.
A former physician to President Yoweri Museveni and once a close political ally, Besigye later became one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition figures, contesting multiple presidential elections and frequently criticizing Museveni’s government over governance and democratic reforms.
The incident has renewed attention on the treatment of political detainees and the state of Uganda’s justice system as the country prepares for future political contests.
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