The international human rights organization, Amnesty International, has strongly condemned the detention and subsequent deportation of prominent Kenyan human rights lawyer Martha Karua by Ugandan authorities, characterizing the incident as “unlawful and egregious.”
Karua, who serves on the legal team representing the detained Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, was reportedly apprehended on June 22 at Entebbe International Airport before being held in incommunicado detention and subsequently repatriated to Kenya.
In an official statement, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, asserted that the actions taken by Ugandan authorities violated regional legal protections and undermined judicial transparency.
“The detention and subsequent deportation of Martha Karua is entirely unlawful and deeply egregious,” Chagutah stated.
The human rights organization noted that Karua had traveled to Uganda to monitor legal proceedings involving prominent Ugandan lawyer Erias Lukwago, who is representing Besigye in an ongoing treason case.
According to Amnesty International, Karua was not informed of the reasons for her arrest and had her mobile phones confiscated during her detention.
The organization further argued that the incident reflected a broader pattern of intimidation targeting lawyers associated with Besigye’s defense team.
“This arrest points to a continuation of a long and disturbing pattern of arbitrary arrests, torture, and ill-treatment of Kizza Besigye’s legal team,” Chagutah added.
Amnesty International also renewed calls for the immediate release of both Besigye and Lukwago.
Lukwago was reportedly arrested, detained, and allegedly subjected to torture on June 15 before later being arraigned on treason-related offenses.
Besigye, a prominent opposition figure and long-standing critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has remained in custody for over 500 days following his alleged abduction in Kenya in November 2024 and his subsequent appearance before a military tribunal in Kampala.
The rights group further referenced the January 2025 arrest of attorney Eron Kiiza, who was assaulted and detained within court premises prior to being convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to a nine-month prison term.
Amnesty International maintains that the systematic targeting of opposition legal counsel exacerbates escalating concerns regarding fair trial guarantees, judicial independence, and the overarching protection of human rights in Uganda.
