Kenyan Activists Protest Besigye’s Detention, Demand His Freedom
Kampala, Uganda – The wife of incarcerated Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima, has expressed her gratitude to Kenyan human rights activists for their solidarity in demanding the release of her husband and all political prisoners.
Via her Twitter handle, Byanyima condemned the persecution, abduction, criminalization, brutalization, and silencing of opposition leaders and human rights defenders, emphasizing that such actions cannot be condoned.
Her comments came after Kenyan activists, led by KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah, Hussein Khalid, Houghton Irungu, and others, took to the streets to protest Besigye’s continued detention.
The activists are demanding that the Ugandan government release Besigye, calling it a crucial first step.
Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni’s 38-year rule, was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, and later transferred to a military facility in Kampala, Uganda.
He has been charged with illegal possession of firearms and attempting to solicit foreign support for political activities that could compromise Uganda’s national security.
