Besigye flies to US, hours after police blocked him from attending court

Dr Besigye in the departure lounge at Entebbe International Airport.

What you need to know:

  • Dr Besigye is Flying aboard KLM 537 through Amsterdam tonight before proceeding to US.
  • Later in the day, police denied blocking him.

Former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye has flown out of the country for the US hours a

Besigye blocked from attending court, funeral service

Dr Besigye was on Monday expected to appear before Ms Mary Eleanor Khainza, the registrar of the High Court- Criminal Division for extension of his bail in a case in which he was charged with treason

from attending court. Without revealing details about his trip, Dr Besigye told journalists on Monday evening he was going to Entebbe airport for a trip.
“I’m going to Entebbe. I have a trip abroad. For some reason now, they (police) haven’t asked me where I am going. In the morning, they blocked me from leaving my home to attend court,” said Dr Besigye before leaving his home in Kasangati Wakiso District. He was however trailed by police to the airport.

When contacted for details about Dr Besigye’s trip, FDC secretary for mobilisation Ingrid Turinawe said the former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate’s trip to the US will be a brief one.
“All I can confirm is that he (Besigye) is leaving the country for US,” she said.

Dr Besigye is Flying aboard KLM 537 through Amsterdam tonight before proceeding to US.
Earlier, Dr Besigye was blocked by police from leaving his home to attend court as well as the funeral service of one of his friend, Ms Enid Turitwenka, at All Saints Church, Nakaseero.
He was on Monday expected to appear before Ms Mary Eleanor Khainza, the registrar of the High Court- Criminal Division for extension of his bail in a case in which he was charged with treason.

“No amount of "pleading" could get sense into heads of all these police officers to respect the law and my rights! I can't attend court today,” Besigye shared on Twitter, a social media platform earlier.

Later in the day, police denied blocking him.
According to police spokesperson Andrew Kaweesi, Dr Besigye was told to wait as police confirmed whether he had a case in court.
“Upon confirmation, we told Dr Besigye to go to court and he refused, saying he couldn’t go because police had interrupted him,” Kaweesi said.