Uganda’s Opposition Leader Dismisses Incitement Charge

Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye says criminal charges against him over the years have been about persecuting him rather than prosecuting him. Besigye says he has been charged with several crimes, including rape, terrorism, and even illegal possession of guns. But he said the government has never been able to produce one iota of evidence. A court last week gave the government 20 days from January 24 to present evidence against Besigye and Lubega Mukaku or the government would be forced to close its case. The two were charged in 2022 for inciting violence because they led protests against high commodity prices. The Uganda Monitor reports the government had asked the court to adjourn the case for three weeks because its witnesses had been assigned to the just-concluded Non-Aligned Movement and G77 summits held in Uganda. Dr. Besigye tells VOA’s James Butty the government has no evidence to back up its claims in court.