By Spy Uganda
36 Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) members belonging to the Katonga faction have been remanded to Luzira prison until 13th August on charges of terrorism.
The group comprising both men and women was arrested from Kisumu in Kenya and deported to Uganda where they have today been arraigned before the Chief Magistrates Court of Nakawa, Kampala.
Chief Magistrate Elias Kakooza has however prevented them from pleading to the capital offence of terrorism, which is triable by the High court’s International Crimes Division.
Kenyan authorities detained and then deported the 36 people after they had travelled on July 23 to take part in a leadership and governance training course, their lawyer and party officials said.
During their detention in Kenya “their properties were confiscated, including computers and phones. They were tortured and several injured,” Kiiza Besigye, a key figure in the FDC and a veteran opponent of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said in a post on the X platform on Sunday.
The court charge sheet accused the 36 people of travelling to Kenya “for the purpose of providing or receiving terrorist training”. They are now being held at a prison about 50 kilometres (31 miles) northwest of the capital.
Opposition critics and human rights campaigners have long accused Museveni’s government of using fabricated charges to clamp down on his opponents.
Last week security personnel detained more than 100 young Ugandans for participating in protests against rampant corruption among government officials.
The Ugandan demonstrators were drawing inspiration from weeks of youth-led protests in Kenya that forced President William Ruto to withdraw proposed tax hikes.
