There was a moment of tension at the High Court during the opening of the treason trial, against veteran opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye and his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale, when Besigye collapsed inside the courtroom while protesting a decision by the court to compel him to be represented by state-appointed lawyers.
The incident occurred shortly after the trial judge, Justice Emmanuel Baguma ordered the trial to proceed and three court assessors were sworn in despite objections from Besigye and his co-accused, Obed Lutale.
Court proceedings had moved to the prosecution’s first witness, Andrew Wilson Orlando, with Senior State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka leading the examination, when Besigye repeatedly interrupted proceedings, arguing that the trial was unconstitutional without his chosen legal team.
Dr Besigye who shouted out loud “Stop!,Stop! Stop!”, during court proceedings slumped back in the dock unconscious sending the court room into a panic.
Opposition activists also claimed his personal physician had not been granted access to him inside court, though those claims could not immediately be independently verified.
“Dr @kizzabesigye1 has collapsed! These fools want to kill KB! The few leaders that were allowed in court have been denied access to him. The prison guards say they have called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital!” Doreen Nyanjura, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), head of all Special Interest Groups posted on her x account.
The prosecution has lined up a number of high-profile witnesses, including Maj Gen Richard Otto, the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security, as well as his predecessors Maj Gen James Birungi and Maj Gen Abel Kandiho.
By the time of this publication, the judiciary was yet to issue a statement on Besigye’s condition or indicated when the hearing would resume.
