Uganda’s Opposition Leader Kizza Besigye has filed a lawsuit against the governments of Kenya and Uganda at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) following his abduction in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 16.
In his legal complaint, Besigye claimed he was forcibly taken and sent back to Uganda to face trial in a military court.
Besigye maintained that subjecting civilians to military trials is illegal and criticized the Kenyan Government for failing to uphold its constitutional responsibility to safeguard individuals within its territory.
He was taken by Ugandan military personnel with the involvement of Kenyan officials and later transferred to Uganda.
The four-time presidential candidate asserted that the Kenyan security forces assisted their Ugandan counterparts in carrying out what he termed an extraterritorial abduction.
Through his legal representatives, Besigye stated that his abduction violated multiple rights protected by the Constitution of Kenya and the East African Treaty.
The EACJ has instructed both the Attorney General of Uganda and the Attorney General of Kenya to respond to this petition within 45 days; failure to do so will allow the case to proceed without their responses.
The petitioner claims that his abduction infringes upon international law, regional treaties, and fundamental human rights principles.
