FDC’s former president and veteran politician Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hajji Obeid Lutale and Capt. Denis Oola have been granted expanded access to their lawyers after the High Court directed Luzira Prison authorities to allow unrestricted consultations as preparations for their treason trial continue.
The three appeared today before Justice Emmanuel Baguma at the Criminal Division of the High Court on Monday for a pre-trial hearing in a case that has attracted widespread public and political attention.
During the proceedings, defence lawyers protested the limited time available to review evidence recently disclosed by the prosecution, arguing that the material was extensive and could not be adequately examined within the period provided by the court.
In response, Justice Baguma ordered prison authorities to permit unrestricted access between the accused persons and their legal teams, including on weekends and public holidays, to enable proper preparation of their defence.
The judge also faulted the prosecution for failing to fully serve the defence with all relevant case documents and directed the State to immediately comply with disclosure requirements.
No substantive hearing of the treason charges was conducted on Monday, with the matter remaining at the pre-trial stage.
Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, together with Lutale and Oola, faces charges of treason and misprision of treason. The accused have denied the allegations.
The trio has been in custody since late 2024 following Besigye’s arrest in Nairobi, Kenya, and his subsequent transfer to Uganda. The case was initially handled by the General Court Martial before being transferred to the High Court after the Supreme Court ruled that civilians could not be tried in military courts.
The latest developments follow a May 28 ruling in which the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew an application seeking witness protection measures for six key witnesses. The withdrawal cleared the way for the defence to access witness statements and other prosecution materials.
The court is expected to issue further directions on the commencement of the substantive trial after the defence completes its review of the evidence.
