The General Court Martial has sentenced Eron Kiiza, counsel to opposition leader Kizza Besigye, to nine months in prison for contempt of court. He will serve his sentence at Kitalya Government Prison.
The incident happened during proceedings in the trial of Besigye and his associate, Obeid Lutale. Kiiza was initially placed in the same caged dock as his clients earlier in the day. After a lunch adjournment, he was brought back to the courtroom in handcuffs.
According to Samuel Muyizi, another defense lawyer, Kiiza was reportedly tortured during the adjournment, sustaining injuries that included a dislocated arm. Muyizi criticized the treatment of his colleague, calling it a violation of human rights.
Kiiza was found guilty of contempt for allegedly “banging the angle bars and failing to listen to the chairman of the court.” However, his sentence was passed without a proper trial, raising concerns about the violation of basic principles of justice, even within a military court setting.
