Activist Sydney Usman Godwin has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ugandan opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye, his political aide Hajj Obeid Lutale, human rights lawyer and activist Praise Aloikin Opoloje, and other people he described as political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Uganda.
In a statement titled “Free all political prisoners,” Sydney condemned what he described as the continued persecution and detention of opposition figures and activists under President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
He described Besigye as one of the most prominent opponents of Museveni, noting that the physician, who trained at Makerere University and served as Museveni’s personal doctor during the bush war, was also a founding member of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) before breaking away in 1999 to demand democratic reforms.
According to Sydney, Besigye has since become a leading opposition figure, contesting four presidential elections against Museveni and facing repeated arrests, house arrests, teargassing and detention.
Besigye’s current legal ordeal began after he was seized in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 16, 2024, while attending a book launch.
Amnesty International reported that Besigye had been abducted in Nairobi and resurfaced four days later in Kampala, where he was arraigned before a military court alongside Lutale on security-related charges and allegations involving unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Sydney said Besigye had spent 682 days in detention as of September 29, 2026, most of the period at Luzira Maximum Prison.
He also expressed concern over Besigye’s deteriorating health, particularly following his collapse during court proceedings on July 29, 2026.
Besigye was subsequently taken to Mulago Hospital for treatment. His wife, Winnie Byanyima, said he was unconscious and unresponsive to pain stimulus.
Sydney said the condition of the 70-year-old opposition politician made his continued detention particularly troubling and called for urgent medical attention and access to appropriate medical care.
Besigye’s political aide, Lutale, has remained in detention alongside him after being arrested during the same operation.
Sydney also drew attention to the case of Praise Aloikin Opoloje, a 27-year-old human rights lawyer and anti-corruption activist who was arrested on September 26, 2026, after being summoned to Namungoona Police Station.
Uganda Police confirmed that Opoloje was in custody, rejecting reports that she had been abducted and stating that she was being investigated over alleged misuse of a digital account.
She was subsequently arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court and charged over allegations that she used an MTN SIM card registered in her mother’s name.
Opoloje denied the allegation and was remanded to Luzira Prison until October 14, 2026.
Sydney said activists had linked Opoloje’s arrest to a recent video in which she criticised the Patriotic League of Uganda and its leader, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, although the criminal allegation before the court concerns the alleged use of a SIM card registered in another person’s name.
He described the cases involving Besigye, Lutale and Opoloje as evidence of what he called a broader crackdown on political opposition, activism and criticism of the Ugandan government.
Sydney also condemned Besigye’s transfer from Kenya to Uganda, describing it as an unlawful cross-border abduction and questioning the circumstances under which Kenyan and Ugandan authorities handled the case.
The East African Court of Justice is considering a case challenging aspects of Besigye’s detention and transfer from Kenya to Uganda.
Sydney further cited Uganda’s Supreme Court ruling that civilians cannot be tried by military courts, arguing that the earlier military proceedings against Besigye and Lutale raised serious legal and human rights concerns.
He said the prosecution and detention of opposition figures and activists should not be used to suppress legitimate political dissent or criticism of government.
According to Sydney, Besigye’s health crisis, Lutale’s continued detention and Opoloje’s imprisonment demonstrate the need for greater scrutiny of Uganda’s treatment of political opponents and human rights defenders.
He called for Besigye, Lutale, Opoloje and what he described as all prisoners of conscience in Uganda to be released immediately and unconditionally.
“Dr. Besigye, Hajj Lutale, Praise Aloikin and all prisoners of conscience are not threats to national security,” Sydney said. “They are the conscience of a nation and they must be freed immediately, unconditionally and given urgent medical care now.”