The President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Robert Kyagulanyi, has condemned the arrest of Kizza Besigye, calling it a direct assault on political freedom in Uganda.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at his home in Magere, Kyagulanyi expressed deep concern over the growing repression by the Ugandan government and urged the public to stand up for justice and demand the immediate release of Besigye, who was reportedly abducted in Nairobi over the weekend.
“It is very shocking that Kenya, which used to be a safer haven for Ugandan dissidents, is now increasingly becoming an operational zone for the dictatorship in Uganda. We condemn that, and we demand the immediate release of Kizza Besigye,” Kyagulanyi said.
Kyagulanyi also stressed that the regime’s actions, including Besigye’s abduction, are part of a broader pattern of terror and repression.
“We must not sweep this under the carpet. This was a gross act of terror, and we refuse to forget it. We are confident that one day justice will be served,” he said.
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He further called on Ugandans of good conscience to stand in solidarity with Besigye and demand his unconditional release.
“I call upon all people of good conscience to condemn this abduction and demand the unconditional release of Kizza Besigye,” Kyagulanyi added.
Besigye was last seen at an apartment on Riverside Drive in the affluent Westlands neighborhood of Nairobi, where he had reportedly traveled for a meeting with unidentified individuals.
However, Besigye has been seen arriving at the court martial in Makindye, Kampala on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, and is currently appearing before the prosecutor, Brig Gen Freeman Mugabe, the Chairman of the General Court Martial to be read his charges.
This incident follows the July 23, 2024, arrest of 36 activists from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in Kisumu County, Kenya, near the Ugandan border, where they were attending leadership training and now face terrorism charges.
