Opposition leader's trial set for 19 December

The trial of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye for treason and rape will begin on December 19, according to a high court schedule made public on Monday. The schedule, signed by Principle Judge James Ogoola, indicated that Besigye and 22 co-defendants in the treason case would stand trial in the court presided over by Justice John Bosco Katutsi. However, a judge once again declined to grant Besigye temporary bail after the court referred to the constitutional court his objection to standing trial before a military court, where he faces separate charges of terrorism and illegal possession of fire arms. In a petition to the constitutional court, Besigye's lawyers have argued that the military has no jurisdiction over civilians and that the court martial proceedings against him are illegal. Besigye, who heads the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, is widely seen as President Yoweri Museveni's main challenger in presidential elections scheduled for February 2006. His supporters have condemned the government's decision to prosecute him, saying the trial is intended to prevent him from participating in the polls. Political parties are scheduled to present the names of their presidential candidates to the electoral commission on Wednesday and Thursday. It remains unclear whether the commission will accept Besigye's nomination papers in his absence. Uganda's Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Khiddu Makubuya, has recommended that Besigye should not be allowed to contest the 2006 elections on the grounds that his nomination would be "tainted". On Monday, the international lobby group Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Uganda's electoral commission to uphold the presumption of innocence and objectively consider whether to permit Besigye to run for president, saying charges against him could be politically motivated. "The presumption of innocence should prevail. Besigye has not been found guilty of anything," Jemera Rone, HRW Uganda researcher, said in a statement released on Monday. "He [Besigye] is still in pre-trial detention because of jurisdictional questions regarding the military court and the civilian court. This is not a legal or constitutional basis on which to deny anyone the right to be nominated as a political candidate," she added. Besigye was Museveni's personal doctor during the guerrilla war that brought Museveni to power in 1986. He lost the 2001 presidential elections and fled Uganda soon after the polls, alleging that his life was in danger. He was arrested on 14 November, nearly three weeks after he returned from exile in South Africa.