A brief commotion occurred at the Judiciary headquarters in Uganda when a group of lawyers and journalists, led by Erias Lukwago, Eron Kizza, and Martha Karua, were denied entry.
The team sought to meet with the country’s Chief Justice, but security officers struggled to restrain the group as they attempted to force their way into the building, accompanied by journalists.
The lawyers were following up on a recent ruling by Uganda’s Constitutional Court, which declared the trial of civilians at the court martial unconstitutional.
On Monday, the trial of Kizza Besigye and Obeid Lutale was adjourned until December 10.
The defence requested the adjournment to allow time for Karua to obtain a temporary practising licence from the Ugandan Law Council, which is required for her to defend Besigye in the case.
This request followed a closed-door meeting between the lawyers and Besigye.
The two men face charges related to national security and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Besigye has been previously charged in a court martial, including in 2006 with treason, though those charges were later dismissed.
Besigye and Lutale are alleged to have been abducted by Ugandan security operatives in Nairobi, where they had planned to attend Karua’s book launch, before being brought back to Uganda.
Speaking to NTV Uganda on Monday, Karua explained that her application had not been processed when Besigye was arraigned at the court martial.
She also shared that Justice Irene Mulyagonja had assured her that the matter would be addressed and that she would provide feedback on Tuesday.
Karua stressed the urgency of processing her application to allow her to represent Besigye in court.
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