Ugandan court denies bail to veteran opposition leader in treason case

FILE PHOTO: Uganda's four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye sits in the dock where he was charged with treason alongside his colleague Obeid Lutale and Captain Denis Oola at the Chief Magistrate Court in Nakawa suburb of Kampala, Uganda, February 21, 2025. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo

KAMPALA (Reuters) -A Ugandan judge refused to grant bail on Friday to veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who has been in jail for nearly nine months on treason charges.

The case has raised concerns among government critics, including opposition leader Bobi Wine and rights groups, about a crackdown ahead of Uganda's national election early next year in which President Yoweri Museveni, 80, is seeking re-election.