Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a controversial law on Monday allowing civilians to be tried in military courts.
Critics warn the new legislation could be weaponised against opposition figures ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
This move defies a Supreme Court ruling from January, which deemed military trials for civilians unconstitutional.
The ruling was made following the case of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who was initially tried by a military court.
Besigye, 69, was abducted in Nairobi last November by armed men and reappeared in a Ugandan military court charged with treason.
His case was later transferred to civilian courts after the Supreme Court decision, but the new law complicates this.
The law introduces “exceptional circumstances” allowing military trials for civilians accused of unlawful possession of arms, among other charges.
Besigye faces such accusations, which critics say are politically motivated to silence dissent before the election.
Besigye’s lawyer, Erias Lukwago, condemned the law as a tool to enable illegal detention and trials of opposition leaders.
Besigye himself has been held in custody beyond the six-month limit allowed without trial under Ugandan law.
Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, said the legislation targets all opposition figures.
Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, who served time under military detention defending Besigye, vowed to challenge the law legally.
Rights groups link Besigye’s abduction and treason charges directly to the upcoming election.
President Museveni, 80, seeks to extend his four decades in power amid rising political tension and international scrutiny.
