HomeWorldAfricaDetained Ugandan opposition figure is unconscious, in intensive care, his wife says

Detained Ugandan opposition figure is unconscious, in intensive care, his wife says

-

NAIROBI, July 30 (Reuters) - ‌Detained prominent Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, ​who collapsed while in court on Wednesday, is unconscious and has ⁠been admitted to an intensive care unit, his wife said in an X post early on Thursday.

Besigye, 70, collapsed ​in a court in the capital Kampala where he is ‌standing trial for treason. He was taken away in an ambulance.  

In a post on the X platform, Winnie Byanyima, who ⁠also heads the United Nations AIDS programme UNAIDS, ⁠said her husband had been admitted to an ICU at Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital.  

"He is unconscious, unable to speak, and unresponsive even to a pain ‌stimulus," she said. 

Government spokesperson Alan Kasujja did not answer ⁠a Reuters call for comment.

Besigye has ‌been in custody since November 2024 ​after he was detained together with his aide Obeid Lutale in neighbouring Kenya and both were repatriated to Uganda ‌where they were subsequently charged with ​treason.

His lawyers, supporters and ⁠rights activists say that the charges are politically ‌motivated and that his prolonged ⁠detention is part of an ongoing crackdown on opponents by long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni. 

Museveni, 81, was declared winner of ​the last election in ‌January although the results were rejected by runner-up Bobi ⁠Wine, who has since gone ​into exile in the United States. 

(Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; ​Editing by Hugh Lawson)

tagreuters.com2026binary_LYNXMPEM6T0IO-VIEWIMAGE

tagreuters.com2026binary_LYNXMPEM6T0IP-VIEWIMAGE

Author

Stay Connected

2,300FansLike
292FollowersFollow
118FollowersFollow
1,230FollowersFollow
140,985SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Latest posts

Share on Social Media