“Besigye Persecution is an attack on all of us”
Moses Sentamu 
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, continues to condemn the continued detention and persecution of veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, calling it an attack on all Ugandans. In a strongly worded statement, Bobi Wine decried the state’s actions, warning that they pose a grave threat to democracy and human rights in Uganda.
Dr. Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president, has been detained under unclear circumstances, with reports indicating that he is unwell and being denied urgent medical attention. Bobi Wine stressed that Besigye’s situation should not be viewed as an isolated attack but rather as a systematic crackdown on political dissent.
“This is not a time to politik. It is a time to unite and face the monster—Gen. Museveni and his brutal son. They clearly want to kill Dr. Besigye, as they have killed many in the past,” Bobi Wine declared. He accused the government of testing the limits of repression, stating that history has shown how dictators first target individuals before escalating their atrocities to larger sections of the population.
“Dictators world over and throughout history believe in testing the ground. They kill one today, another tomorrow, and another the following day. When they realise that they can get away with anything, they descend on the entire population and massacre those who oppose their criminal regimes,” he warned.
Bobi Wine further revealed that threats have been issued against him and other opposition figures, allegedly from Museveni’s son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. “No wonder Museveni’s son is saying that after killing Dr. Besigye, he will come for me and all of us. These are not empty threats—that is how the Holocaust began. That is how genocides begin,” he cautioned.
He called upon all Ugandans, activists, and international human rights organizations to intensify pressure on the Ugandan government to secure the immediate release of Dr. Besigye and all other political prisoners.
“I salute all those who are protesting, sending out messages, and doing everything possible to ramp up the pressure. Let everyone do everything within their power to call for the immediate release of Dr. Besigye and other prisoners of conscience,” he urged.
The arrest and continued detention of Dr. Besigye come at a time when Uganda’s political space remains tense, with opposition figures facing increased repression. Over the years, several opposition members, activists, and journalists have been arrested, tortured, or forced into exile.
Bobi Wine’s statement is yet another strong indictment of President Museveni’s administration, which has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades. As political tensions continue to rise, the question remains: will Ugandans heed Kyagulanyi’s call, or will what he termed as repression, continue?
Dr. Besigye and his colleague Hajji Obied Lutale were arrested in Nairobi- Kenya in November 2024, before being whisked to Uganda where they stood trial in the General Court Martial. The two arrested have since, refused to take plea arguing that the general court martial has no jurisdiction to try them.
On January 31, 2025, Uganda’s Supreme court delivered a landmark judgement declaring it unconstitutional to try civilians in a court martial. The Supreme court of the land also directed that all on-going prosecutions or pending trials before the court martial, immediately be ceased and transferred to the ordinary courts of law with competent jurisdiction.
Over two weeks after the Supreme Court judgement, Besigye, his co-accused and several other prisoners whose cases were before the General Court Martial, remain incarcerated in prison.
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