No, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye remains in detention on treason charges despite posts claiming his release from prison
IN SHORT: A video circulating on Facebook claims to show the Ugandan opposition leader being freed from prison. But the footage is from February 2025, when Besigye was taken to court to face treason charges. He remains in detention, according to his party's official statements.
A video circulating on Facebook appears to show Dr Kizza Besigye, Ugandan opposition leader, former presidential candidate and longtime critic of president Yoweri Museveni, being released from prison.
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Besigye has been in custody since November 2024, after he was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya. Reports at the time said he was apprehended by security officers while about to attend a series of political and advocacy meetings with Ugandan exiles and activists. He was later presented before a military court before being transferred to a civilian court in Uganda.
In the video doing the rounds on social media, Besigye appears frail, seated in a wheelchair and surrounded by multiple soldiers.
Besigye went on a prolonged hunger strike while in detention to protest what he described as unjust imprisonment and poor conditions in prison. Supporters have expressed concern about his well-being and urged the authorities to provide him with adequate medical care.
In February 2025, Besigye was charged with treason. The Ugandan authorities accused him of plotting to overthrow the government between 2023 and November 2024 in various locations worldwide, including Geneva (Switzerland), Athens (Greece), Nairobi (Kenya) and Kampala, the capital of Uganda. As treason is a capital offence under Ugandan law, the case was sent to the high court. His bail applications have been denied, with prosecutors citing the seriousness and cross-border nature of the charges.
Besigye has been arrested numerous times over the years for his political activism. He was once Museveni's personal physician and close ally before breaking ranks with him in the late 1990s. He went on to challenge Museveni in several presidential elections, becoming one of the most prominent figures in Uganda's opposition movement.
Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986, making him one of Africa's longest-serving leaders.
In another post, Besigye is said to have been spotted at Entebbe International airport.
This claim has also been shared here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But has Besigye really been released from custody? We checked.
Original footage from February, Besigye not freed
A Google reverse image search of keyframes extracted from the video led us to footage from the original story, posted to social media on 21 February 2025.
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The video captured a moment when Besigye was being wheeled to Nakawa chief magistrate's court in Kampala, where he was formally charged with treason after allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.
As of 30 October, Besigye's bail applications have been denied, most recently in August. Despite ongoing pressure from his new political party, the People's Front for Freedom, as well as from international human rights organisations, Besigye is still in detention.
While videos implying that Besigye had been released circulated online between 20 and 26 October, the PFF posted on its verified X account on 28 October that Besigye had been awarded the Akufo-Addo Democracy Prize while still in prison.
The PFF wrote, in part: "The award acknowledges his decades-long commitment and persistence in the struggle for democracy, good governance, and rule of law in Uganda ... Our leader's fight is one marked by numerous arrests, detentions, and consistent acts of civil defiance, making him a symbol of the enduring fight for political freedoms in Uganda and Africa ..."
Besigye has not been released from prison. The Ugandan opposition leader remains in detention on treason charges.
This false claim has also been posted here, here, here and here.
