Law Society Condemns Museveni Remarks On Besigye Trial Bail
The story
The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has called on the Judiciary to publicly and unequivocally condemn President Yoweri Museveni's remarks on the pending treason trial of veteran opposition leader and four-time presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye, as well as his renewed push to abolish bail, describing the comments as unconstitutional executive interference in the administration of justice.
In a statement dated July 4, 2026, and signed by ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde, the Society strongly criticised the President's public comments on the ongoing criminal proceedings against Besigye and urged the Chief Justice, Judiciary Top Management, and all judicial associations to denounce what it described as attempts to undermine judicial independence.
Details
"The Uganda Law Society (ULS) strongly condemns President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni's public comments on the pending trial of Dr. Kizza Besigye and his stated intention to abolish bail," the statement read.
According to the Law Society, the President's comments amount to sub judice contempt of court because they discuss the merits of an active criminal case and could prejudice the accused's constitutional right to a fair hearing.
The Society argued that the remarks also aggravate existing contempt allegations involving the President's son, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, which it said form part of the alleged human rights violations underlying the current stay of proceedings.
ULS further described the President's renewed criticism of bail as an unconstitutional attack on Articles 23 and 28(3)(a) of the 1995 Constitution, which guarantee personal liberty and the presumption of innocence while reserving decisions on bail exclusively for the courts.
"Bail is a judicial function, not subject to executive directive," the statement said.
The Society maintained that abolishing bail through a blanket policy would violate several international legal instruments, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (Tokyo Rules, 1990), the African Commission's Luanda Guidelines (2014), and the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary (1985), particularly Principles 1, 2 and 4, which prohibit governmental interference with judicial functions.
How other sources reported it
Observer Uganda also reported on the story, highlighting that the uganda law society (uls) has criticised president yoweri museveni over his comments on the ongoing treason trial of opposition politician dr kizza besigye, saying they amount to interference with the administration of justice. in a televised national addr…
Why it matters
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