The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Hon Winnie Kizza has dismissed President Yoweri Museveni’s assertions yesterday that he has no power to release jailed Forum for Democratic Change former Presidential Candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye, from Luzira Prison.
Kizza told Chimpreports at the sidelines of the National Budget presentation at the Kampala Serena Conference Center yesterday that the innocence of Dr Besigye and the fact that he is a political prisoner detained on the instructions of President Museveni, was clear to many Ugandans.
“We all know that Besigye has no case and his arrest is illegal, that’s why the State is finding trouble to produce him in substantive Courts of Law,” Kizza said.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) remarked, “First of all Besigye was arrested in Kampala thereafter flown to Moroto and later tried in Nakawa Court, all this is acting outside the law by government.”
Yesterday at Serena, members of parliament from the opposition side staged a demonstration interrupting President Museveni’s Budget speech as the chorused, “Release Dr Besigye,” while brandishing placards with the same message.
In his defense, President Museveni told the house that he had no powers to release Besigye since he is not part of the judiciary.
“I have no powers to release Besigye. It is the courts which release people. I therefore seek the Speaker’s protection,” said the President.
The Leader of Opposition however, insists that President Museveni is the very reason Besigye is in jail and is the only one that can get him out.
She told us, “We still demand that the peoples’ president is released immediately without any conditions since he has no case to answer.”
Dr. Kizza Besigye is on remand in Luzira on Treason Charges, after he declared himself winner of last February’s Presidential elections.
Mrs. Kizza further explained that the opposition members were representing the cry of the people to have ‘their president’ released from prison.
“Ugandans sent us to inform Mr. Museveni that Dr. Besigye should be released without conditions and as members we indeed expressed our dissatisfaction with his continued imprisonment.”
“Speaking out the cry of the people in his presence made more sense and at last he had to say something about our president unlike last time during the State of the Nation Address where he just ignored the protest by a few opposition members.”