By Aggrey Baba
The People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) has announced a fresh confrontation with the Museveni government over the continued detention and prosecution of its top leaders, warning that it is abandoning the familiar routine of issuing statements and holding press conferences to demand the freedom of Dr Kizza Besigye, former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and other political prisoners.
Acting PFF leader Dr Michael Lulume Bayiga has said that the party is preparing a new campaign of political mobilization to force the government to drop what he describes as politically motivated charges, release detained opposition leaders and stop using the criminal justice system to punish political dissent.
Addressing the media on Monday, he delivered a blunt message to the government, arguing that the continued prosecution and detention of opposition leaders cannot be allowed to become an accepted feature of Uganda’s politics.
Lulume challenged the NRM government to stop what he considers persecution disguised as criminal prosecution and release the detained opposition figures instead of prolonging court proceedings that, according to PFF, have failed to establish convincing cases against some of its members.
“The easiest thing to do is to apologize, drop the charges and set our people free,” Bayiga declared.
He specifically demanded freedom for Besigye, Lukwago, Obed Lutale, Sam Mugumya, Sam Makoha and other political detainees drawn from different opposition parties, arguing that their continued incarceration raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to political freedoms.
His warning signals a tougher political approach by PFF, which says it is no longer prepared to confine its protests against political detentions to statements delivered before journalists while its members remain in custody.
Lulume also disclosed that the party is reviewing its mobilization strategy after previous attempts to demonstrate against the handling of political cases were frustrated by police restrictions.
Among the activities previously contemplated was a procession from the PFF headquarters at Katonga Road in Kampala, to the office of the Chief Justice to express dissatisfaction with the administration of justice and what the party considers declining public confidence in the judiciary.
However, police deployment blocked the planned procession, prompting the party to reconsider how to take its demands beyond its headquarters.
Dr Lulume now says the government should not mistake the absence of successful street demonstrations for the opposition’s surrender or acceptance of the continued detention of its members.
“Our methodology is going to change. We shall not be at press conferences talking about this. We are going to adopt new methods of demanding that they drop the charges,” he warned.
The former Buikwe South Member of Parliament argued that the detention of opposition figures, mostly Dr Kizza Besigye and Lukwago, is not merely a dispute between the government and rival political parties but a test of whether the people of Uganda can freely organize, associate and challenge those in power without facing state retaliation.
He challenged the people of Uganda to stop treating the imprisonment of opposition figures as somebody else’s political problem, warning that the erosion of freedoms enjoyed by one group can eventually threaten the rights of everyone.
He went ahead and demanded that prisoners requiring medical attention be allowed to leave custody and access treatment, arguing that seeking medical care should not be turned into another battle between the government and political opponents.
He maintained that those facing criminal charges could return to answer them when required, insisting that the administration should not use detention to expose suspects to unnecessary suffering.
His message was particularly directed at the government, which he wants to abandon what PFF considers a strategy of using prolonged criminal proceedings and detention to weaken opposition figures and their parties.
Lulume also appealed to international community, institutions and people of goodwill to intervene in support of political freedoms and the release of political prisoners, arguing that Uganda’s democratic credentials cannot be defended while opposition figures remain behind bars over politically contested cases.
The party has not yet announced the specific dates, venues or activities of its proposed new campaign. However, the leader’s declaration makes it clear that PFF wants to turn the detention of Besigye, Lukwago and other opposition figures into a sustained national political mobilization issue rather than another recurring subject at opposition news conferences.
