Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who is being tried on suspicion of treason, has been readmitted to hospital, his wife said late on Friday, accusing the authorities of “persecution”.
“He is still very weak. He struggles to walk, speak, write or even hold anything steadily,” she added.
Besigye, 70, is a former personal physician to Uganda’s veteran President Yoweri Museveni but has been targeted by the government after switching to the opposition more than 25 years ago.
He was seized in November 2024 during a trip to neighbouring Kenya and returned to Uganda, where he was brought before a military court, accused of plotting against Museveni.
The case has since been transferred to a civilian court.
Besigye has now been taken to hospital four times since he was taken into custody.
At the end of July, he fainted during a court hearing and was treated in intensive care. He returned to prison on August 8 against medical advice, according to his wife.
“Why drag a sick man from place to place? Why deny him the care of his family? Why force a trial on a man too ill to defend himself?” she wrote on Friday.
“He needs care, not cruelty. This is not justice. It is persecution.”
Byanyima, who is the executive director of UNAIDS, last year claimed there was a presidential plot to kill Besigye.
Political repression has been growing in Uganda in recent months, with the army, led by Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, having arrested opposition figures and lawyers.
