Uganda: DPP Seeks to Jail Besigye Lawyer Over Trial Comments
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of Uganda has filed an application seeking to have lawyer Eron Kiiza committed for criminal contempt of court. According to AllAfrica, citing reporting by Nile Post, the prosecution alleges that Kiiza violated the sub judice rule by publishing comments about an ongoing treason trial involving opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye and two other defendants.
The sub judice principle, inherited from Uganda’s English common law legal tradition, restricts commentary on matters awaiting judicial determination in order to safeguard the fairness of proceedings. Breaches may be treated as criminal contempt, punishable by imprisonment or fines. While the rule is well established, contempt applications against practising lawyers for commentary on active cases remain relatively rare and often attract close attention from the legal profession and civil society observers.
Dr. Kizza Besigye is one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition politicians, having stood as presidential challenger four times and served as leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). His legal confrontations with the state have drawn periodic commentary from international human rights organisations, which have at times questioned the handling of cases involving opposition figures in the country. Treason charges in Uganda are tried before the High Court and carry some of the most severe penalties under the penal code.
The DPP’s application now awaits a hearing before a court of competent jurisdiction, which will be required to determine whether Kiiza’s published remarks crossed the threshold of criminal contempt or fell within acceptable bounds of legal advocacy and public interest expression.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
