The Commonwealth on Tuesday called for Uganda to release detained opposition leader Kizza Besigye, saying his incarceration undermines democracy and human rights in the East African nation.
President Yoweri Museveni dismissed concerns about Besigye’s health, accusing him of using a hunger strike as “blackmail” to gain public sympathy and secure bail.
Besigye, 68, a longtime critic of Museveni, has been held for nearly three months after being prosecuted by a military court on charges including illegal firearms possession. His detention has sparked public outrage, with critics accusing the government of escalating repression ahead of next year’s election.
Besigye began a hunger strike last week and was briefly hospitalized over the weekend, according to an allied lawmaker.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland condemned the detention of Besigye, his lawyer, and an aide, calling it a violation of “democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”
“The Commonwealth has always had a relationship based on trust with Uganda and looks forward to the return of a more inclusive and democratic political environment aligned with the Commonwealth Charter,” Scotland said in a statement.
Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, rejected the criticism.
“Besigye was on hunger strike. That is part of the cause for his weakness that we could see in the pictures that were in the newspapers,” he said in a statement. “Is that not unprincipled blackmail? How can you be accused of serious crimes and then your response is a hunger strike to generate sympathy for getting bail?”
Ugandan officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government has previously denied allegations of human rights abuses, insisting that all arrests and prosecutions follow legal procedures.
On Monday, police detained at least five activists, including members of Besigye’s political party, during protests in Kampala demanding his release, police told local television.
Bobi Wine, the opposition leader who was the runner-up in the last presidential election, also said Monday that his brother, a party official, was abducted by armed men in the capital. Police have not commented on the claim.
The escalating crackdown on opposition figures has fueled concerns over Uganda’s political climate as the country heads into another election season.
