“The legal team decided they could no longer dignify a process they regard as unjust, unconstitutional and illegal,”
Hon.Winnie Byanyima, the wife of jailed opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, has broken her silence on the withdrawal of his lawyers from his case, saying they were not instructed by the accused to quit but were forced out by a series of intimidation, arrests and a hostile courtroom environment created by Judge Baguma.
According to Byanyima, the leadership of the defence team had been “violently removed”, while another lawyer, Eron Kiiza, was forced to flee to Kenya, leaving the legal team unable to continue with the case.
“Dr Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale did not instruct their lawyers to withdraw,” Ms Byanyima said in a post on her official X (formally Twitter) account, arguing that the lawyers themselves decided they could no longer participate in proceedings they considered unjust.
Her comments come after lawyers who previously represented Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale formally notified the High Court Criminal Division that they had ceased having conduct of the case.
In their communication to court, the lawyers pointed to the arrest of former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago on June 15, 2026, saying it followed his execution of a professional duty to serve court documents on first son and CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a separate case.
The lawyers said they had reviewed the evidence against Mr Lukwago and believed it did not establish any connection to the alleged offence, describing his arrest as political persecution.
They also cited the detention and subsequent declaration of their lead counsel, former Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua, as persona non grata in Uganda. According to the lawyers, Karua had earlier been detained, deprived of her mobile phones and subjected to an unwarranted invasion of her privacy by security personnel, incidents which, according to the defence team, created a serious threat to the security and safety of lawyers representing Dr Besigye and Lutale, making it “impossible and impracticable” for them to continue.
Byanyima also blamed the trial court, accusing Justice Baguma of creating a hostile environment that made it difficult for the lawyers to defend their clients.
“Faced with what they consider serious failures in the administration of justice, the legal team decided they could no longer dignify a process they regard as unjust, unconstitutional and illegal,” she said.
The withdrawal is the latest development in a case that has been surrounded by controversy over the conduct of the proceedings, the treatment of defence lawyers and the ability of Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale to receive effective legal representation.
The lawyers said they had previously communicated their position to court, but disputed a subsequent finding that they remained on record because they had represented the accused persons earlier.
They have now formally (in a documented communication submitted to court on Wednesday) asked the court to place their withdrawal on record and take it into account in all subsequent proceedings.
Byanyima thanked the lawyers for (according to her) their courage, professionalism and “extraordinarily generous support” to her husband and his co-accused.
