Uganda: Museveni signs new law allowing military trials for civilians

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has signed a controversial amendment into law, reinstating the ability for civilians to be tried in military courts under specific conditions.
This move comes despite a Supreme Court ruling in January that declared a previous law allowing such trials unconstitutional, raising significant human rights concerns and drawing criticism from opposition lawmakers and activists.
Museveni Reinstates Military Trials For Civilians
President Yoweri Museveni has enacted a new law that permits civilians to face trial in military courts, reversing a Supreme Court decision from January that had deemed such practices unconstitutional.
The previous law allowed civilians found with military equipment, such as guns or army uniforms, to be tried by military tribunals. Critics had long argued that these courts were used to suppress political dissent.
Key Takeaways

President Museveni has signed an amendment allowing military trials for civilians, overturning a Supreme Court ruling.
The previous law was criticized for being used to persecute government opponents.
Opposition lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary vote on the amendment.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled military courts were neither impartial nor competent for judicial functions.
The new amendment attempts to address impartiality concerns by requiring legal qualifications for presiding officers.

Background And Controversy
In January, Uganda’s Supreme Court ruled that military courts were neither impartial nor competent to exercise judicial functions, leading to the transfer of high-profile cases, including that of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, from military to civilian courts. Besigye had been charged in a military court with possession of pistols and attempting to purchase weapons abroad, charges he denied.
The new amendment, passed amid a police presence and an opposition boycott in parliament, attempts to address some of the Supreme Court’s concerns by stipulating that presiding officers in military tribunals must possess relevant legal qualifications and training, and act independently and impartially.
Human Rights Concerns
Human rights activists have consistently argued that military courts in Uganda have been utilized by the government to silence opponents. President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, has defended the use of military courts, asserting they are necessary to quickly address “rampant activities of criminals and terrorists that were using guns to kill people indiscriminately,” claiming civilian courts were too overwhelmed to handle such cases efficiently.