Winnie Byanyima has renewed her call for the release of her husband, Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, saying his continued detention is evidence of a collapsing justice system.

Byanyima noted that it is now a year since Besigye was abducted in Nairobi and taken to Uganda, where he remains in prison with no progress in his treason case.

In a series of posts on X on Sunday, November 16, 2025, she accused the government of subjecting Besigye to endless injustice, including military detention, illegal confinement and repeated denial of bail. She said the stalled case shows how deeply the justice system has been “captured”.

“It is now one year since my spouse, Dr Kizza Besigye, was abducted from Nairobi and taken to prison in Uganda. The case against him has not moved in court. Endless injustice: military detention, illegal confinement, denial of bail. A justice system captured,” she wrote.

Byanyima said Besigye was taken from Kenya under unclear circumstances while preparing to attend a private meeting in Nairobi last November, only to resurface days later before the Makindye General Court Martial, despite being a civilian. She has consistently argued that the military has no legal authority to try him.

She also demanded the release of his long-time ally, Obed Lutale, who was abducted alongside him.

“Today I call on Gen Museveni and the captured judiciary to free Kizza Besigye and Obed Lutale. Their continued detention is a stain on our nation,” she wrote.

Also watch: Leaders react to the abduction of Kiza Besigye.

Byanyima described her husband as a man who has remained resolute throughout the past year, saying he has never abandoned his fight for democracy, human rights and equality-even as the state keeps him in custody.

“Why is he being held? Because he has different views. Because he has dared to compete for the presidency. Because in Uganda, dissent is treated as a crime—and those who challenge authoritarian rule are punished rather than heard.”

She added that Besigye’s experience reflects what many Ugandans-especially young activists-face: disappearances, detention without charge, torture and extrajudicial killings.

“What is happening to Kizza Besigye is not unique. It is the fate of countless Ugandans, especially young activists, who disappear, are detained without charge, tortured, or even killed. Our nation’s future is being brutalised into silence”

In her posts, Byanyima also reflected on Besigye’s long political journey. She traced his activism to the Obote II era, when he escaped illegal detention at the notorious Nile Hotel basement.

After fleeing to exile, he returned and joined the NRA bush war, serving as one of only two medical doctors and later as President Museveni’s personal physician.

“Allow me to remind you who Kizza Besigye is. He is a national hero who escaped illegal detention under the Obote II regime at the notorious Nile Hotel basement. He fled to exile, but when Uganda needed him, he returned to join the struggle for freedom.”

“He left his job as a medical doctor at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, joined Museveni in the bush war, and served with courage. One of only two doctors in the NRA, he fought in all major battles and saved countless lives, including as Museveni’s personal doctor.”

After the war, Besigye helped build the NRM as National Political Commissar and took part in the Constituent Assembly. But Byanyima said he fell out with Museveni when the party abandoned its founding ideals of democracy and justice. In 2001, after a violent and disputed election, he broke ranks with the NRM.

“After the war, he built up the NRM as National Political Commissar, shaping structures across the country. As a member of the NRC and the Constituent Assembly, he spoke his truth – always grounded in the NRM’s original vision: democracy, human rights, and social justice.”

“His disagreement with Museveni began when that vision was betrayed—when personal rule replaced national transformation. In 2001, after a violent and fraudulent election in which his victory was stolen, Kizza Besigye broke with the NRM.”

Since then, she noted, he has endured arrests, torture, smear campaigns and politically motivated charges—including a high-profile treason and rape case in 2005, for which he was eventually cleared.

“Since then, he has endured arrests, torture, smears, criminalisation. In November 2005—20 years ago—he was charged with treason, terrorism, illegal possession of weapons, even rape. All false accusations. He faced trial and was exonerated.”

“Through it all, KB has never wavered. His commitment to fight for democracy, human rights, and equality has never been shaken. No amount of imprisonment or persecution can make him abandon the struggle for a free Uganda.”

Legal battle drags on

Besigye has faced numerous arrests throughout his political career. He travelled to Nairobi last November to attend the launch of a book by Martha Karua. His allies say he was tracked from the moment he left Uganda and lured into a trap by men posing as Kenyan security officers.

Four days after he disappeared, he appeared before the Makindye General Court Martial in Kampala.

His continued detention has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and opposition figures, especially after a Ugandan court denied him bail. In August 2025, Justice Emmanuel Baguma ruled that he had not yet reached the 180-day threshold for mandatory bail, counting his detention from the date he was remanded to a civilian court on February 21.

Besigye’s lawyers argued he had already exceeded 180 days in custody without trial, but the court dismissed the request.

The treason case, which has dragged on for months, has heightened fears of a widening crackdown ahead of Uganda’s 2026 general election. Opposition leaders, including Bobi Wine, accuse the government of using security agencies and courts to silence critics. Authorities deny the claims.

Besigye’s party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), has since announced it will not field a presidential candidate in 2026, instead backing a joint opposition contender. The party said the election environment has become a military operation and cited the ongoing detention of Besigye, Obed Lutale and other activists as proof of shrinking democratic space.