Siasa · Opposition Leader Collapses · KumbukumbuOpposition Leader Collapses in Court; Wife Says He Cannot Respond to PainImeandikwa 7 Septemba 2026, 21:22 UTCTazamaNakala ya maneno0:00Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye0:02is in intensive care tonight after0:04collapsing in court. He is now at Mulago0:06National Referral Hospital. His wife0:08Winnie Byanyima says he is unconscious,0:10unable to speak, and unresponsive to0:12painful stimuli. Hospital sources0:14describe his condition as critical. This0:16is the third time Besigye has been0:18hospitalized since his arrest. He was0:20abducted in Kenya in 2024 and now faces0:23treason charges that carry a possible0:25death sentence. Before he collapsed,0:27Besigye used what may have been his last0:29conscious moments in court to denounce0:31the government's abuse of the0:32Constitution. He had just refused to0:34accept state-appointed lawyers. His own0:36legal team has been dismantled. One0:38member was arrested. Another was barred0:40from entering Uganda. His lawyers say0:42his collapse shows signs of a deliberate0:44campaign to force a confession. His wife0:46has described the conditions of his0:47detention, a tiny, overcrowded cell0:50infested with bed bugs. The Ugandan0:52government has not provided a0:54transparent medical account of why a man0:55in state custody has now required0:57emergency hospitalization three times.1:00The collapse has reignited international1:02concerns over the treatment of political1:03opponents in Uganda. The immediate1:05unanswered question is medical, whether1:07Besigye will regain consciousness at1:09all.1:10The legal question follows directly. A1:12treason trial cannot proceed against a1:14defendant who cannot speak, cannot1:15instruct counsel, and cannot respond to1:17charges that carry the death penalty.1:19The government must now decide whether1:21to continue prosecuting a man who is, by1:23his wife's account and hospital sources,1:25fighting for his life in a bed the state1:26placed him in.Soma makalaMfuatano wa matukio ya habariHeyDexVideo fupi ↗
