Uganda. Civilians before a military court. “Draft law ready”

President Uganda wants military courts to issue judgments in matters of civilians, although the Supreme Court ruled that this is inconsistent with the constitution. The opposition comments that this is a way to get rid of opponents from approaching elections.

President Uganda Yoweri Museveni intends to introduce a law that allows military courts to judge civilians. According to the opposition, this movement is to eliminate rivals before next year's universal elections. – The bill is already ready and awaits the office by the office before sending it to the Parliament – said the Minister of Justice Uganda Nobert Mao to legislators on Thursday.

The minister rejected the allegations of critics who claim that such a law undermines the honesty and impartiality of the justice system. “Entrusting for military courts certain matters is necessary for national security,” Mao argued.

Elimination of opponents

The opposition argues that the new law is to facilitate the museven governing victory in the universal elections planned for January 2026.

As in the time before the election in 2021, repression of the opposition is growing in the country. Its representatives are also prosecuted outside Uganda, such as the former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye, whose last autumn was kidnapped from neighboring Kenya and transported to Kampala.

Ignored the Supreme Court's decision

In January 2025 Supreme Court He ruled that the judgment of civilians in military courts was inconsistent with the constitution and ordered that all ongoing or expecting criminal trials with the participation of civilians would be immediately interrupted and transferred to common courts.

Despite this ruling, President Musevenni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the head of the Ugandan Armed Forces, has repeatedly declared publicly that they would continue to transfer to the military courts the case of civilian civilians.

Over a thousand civilians have been accused in Ugandan military courts since 2002 for crimes such as murder and robbery with weapons in hand – according to data published on Friday Amnesty International.