Besigye and the co-accused Kamulegeya are not the first civilians to appear before the military court; many have been charged, and in the case of Micheal Kabaziguruka, the former MP for Nakawa division, the Constitutional Court held a decision that the General Court Martial has no power to try civilians, though this still continues to happen.
The President of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, has expressed his dissatisfaction towards the trial of Dr. Kizza Besigye in the military courts.