Concern over introduction of military tribunals Bill

The Ugandan Government introduced a Bill in Parliament on Tuesday that would allow military tribunals to prosecute civilians, months after the country's Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional reports SABC News. The top court's January verdict forced the government to transfer the trial of opposition politician and former Presidential candidate Kizza Besigye to a civilian court, where prosecutors have charged him with several crimes including treason. Minister of Defence Jacob Marksons Oboth introduced the ‘Uganda People's Defence Forces Bill, 2025’ on the floor of the House on Tuesday, where it was referred to a House committee for scrutiny. Civilians may be tried under military law in exceptional circumstances, such as when they are in ‘unlawful possession of arms, ammunition or equipment ordinarily being the monopoly of the defence forces,’ according to the draft law seen by Reuters. The new Bill also includes crimes of abetting or aiding a soldier to commit crimes including treason, murder and aggravated robbery, among others. Human rights activists and opposition politicians have long accused Museveni's Government of using military courts to prosecute opposition leaders and supporters on politically motivated charges. The new law will be used to ‘persecute regime opponents and deal with the growing resistance against the regime, said David Lewis Rubongoya from the National Unity Platform, Uganda's largest opposition party.