A Ugandan military tribunal on Monday convicted 16 members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) on charges of “illegal possession of explosive devices and treachery,” sparking concerns over the fairness of the proceedings, according to a defence lawyer.
Prosecutors alleged that the 16 individuals, along with others still at large, were found with explosives between November 2020 and May 2021, during Uganda’s election period.
Shamim Malende, a defence lawyer, questioned the legitimacy of the trial, stating, “Circumstances surrounding their plea of guilty to the charges they had denied previously was questionable.”
Bobi Wine, the opposition leader whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, claimed the group had been coerced into pleading guilty to secure a presidential pardon. Wine has been a staunch critic of President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
Journalists were prohibited from attending the session, further fuelling concerns about transparency. The 16 convicted individuals, who have been in jail for four years, are expected to be sentenced on Wednesday.
Bobi Wine condemned the court’s decision, stating, “Whatever Museveni’s government is doing, one day all those under him including himself will be called to account.” He also accused state agents of blackmailing the defendants into their guilty pleas.
The conviction comes against a backdrop of widespread repression during the 2021 presidential election, when protests against Wine’s arrest were violently quashed, resulting in at least 54 deaths.