Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni has signed a controversial new law permitting civilians to be tried in military courts, a move critics fear is aimed at suppressing opposition figures ahead of next year’s election.
The law, announced by parliament, comes despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that declared such trials unconstitutional a decision that led to the transfer of opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s treason case to a civilian court.
The new legislation allows exceptions in cases involving offenses like unlawful possession of weapons one of the charges Besigye still faces.
His lawyer, Erias Lukwago, argued the law is intended to legitimize the continued detention and prosecution of Besigye and other critics.
Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, who was previously jailed by a military court, vowed to challenge the law’s legality.