Opposition leader Bobi Wine has raised fresh alarm over what he describes as a growing pattern of abductions, torture and prolonged detention of government critics in Uganda, saying many activists remain behind bars without trial as the country reflects on losses recorded in 2025.

In a statement shared on X on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the National Unity Platform leader painted a grim picture of fear, pain and unanswered questions facing families of detained opposition supporters, warning that the suffering has continued into the new year.

“As we remember those we lost in 2025, we must also think of the many who were abducted, tortured, disappeared, exiled, murdered, or simply threatened into silence for supporting the struggle for a New Uganda,” Bobi Wine wrote

Bobi Wine singled out the case of his close ally, describing his ordeal as one that reflects the broader treatment of opposition supporters in the country.

“Since he was abducted on April 27, 2025, and personally tortured to near death by dictator, Eddie Mutwe, remains captive in prison without treatment or trial,” the statement reads

The opposition leader said Mutwe’s situation is not unique, pointing to several other detainees who have spent years in prison without being presented before a court, a situation he said continues to deny families closure and justice.

“Machete Yasin, Ashraf Kalanzi, and many others have now spent 5 years in Kitalya, also without trial,” he wrote

He added that the list of detainees has continued to grow, including senior figures within his party and young activists whose only crime, he said, was speaking out.

“Add to that list our Deputy Spokesperson Waiswa Mufumbiro, comrades Olivia Lutaaya, Achileo Kivumbi, Bobi Young, and others,” Bobi Wine wrote

Bobi Wine also revisited the controversial arrest of veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, saying the circumstances surrounding his detention still raise serious concerns across the region.

was abducted from Kenya, smuggled back into Uganda, and sent to prison where he also remains to date,” he stated

Bobi Wine warned that without accountability, the cycle of fear and repression will continue to define the country’s political landscape.