Kizza Besigye was charged with treason after being arrested in Kampala the day before President Yoweri Museveni’s inauguration. Treason is punishable by death in Uganda, although no executions have been carried out for years. The opposition leader was charged on Friday at a court in the town of Moroto in the northeastern Karamoja region, his lawyers said. “We have been informed by police today that Besigye appeared in court in Moroto and was charged with treason,” lawyer Erias Lukwago told the AFP. Lukwago said his client had been denied legal representation and was to remain in custody until his next scheduled appearance in court on May 25. Besigye has been under house arrest for much of the time since February, when he challenged long-time President Museveni’s victory in that month’s election. Besigye was arrested in Kampala on Wednesday after staging his own swearing-in ceremony. He has in the past been accused of both treason and rape. He has been jailed and placed under house arrest several times, in addition to suffering beatings to the point when he needed hospital treatment.
