Ugandan Opposition Leader Charged After Being Kidnapped in Kenya

A prominent Ugandan opposition figure who disappeared last week while in neighboring Kenya surfaced on Wednesday in a military court back home, where he was charged with security-related offenses, his wife and Ugandan officials said — the latest case to raise alarm amid a widening opposition crackdown in both East African nations.

Kizza Besigye, a former presidential candidate in Uganda, was “kidnapped” on Saturday while visiting the capital, Nairobi, for a book launch by a Kenyan politician, his wife, Winnie Byanyima, said on social media early on Wednesday. Ms. Byanyima did not elaborate on how Mr. Besigye was abducted or by whom. But she said he was remanded to a military jail in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and did not have access to his family or lawyers.

“He is not a soldier. Why is he being held in a military jail?” said Ms. Byanyima, who is the executive director of U.N.AIDS, the United Nations program on H.I.V. and AIDS. She did not respond immediately to an attempt to reach her by email.

Hours later, Mr. Besigye, surrounded by security officers and holding his fingers in a V-sign, appeared at a military court in Kampala, according to footage broadcast on public and private television stations. He and an associate — Haji Obeid Lutale — were remanded to prison pending trial on charges including unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, according to a charge sheet seen by The New York Times.

Authorities alleged that Mr. Besigye, Mr. Lutale and others still at large have, over the past year, held meetings in Switzerland, Greece and Kenya “aimed at soliciting for logistical support and identifying military targets in Uganda with intent to prejudice the security of the Defense Forces.”

Both Mr. Besigye and Mr. Lutale denied the charges.

Uganda’s government has not commented on the situation. Felix Kulayigye, a spokesman for the Ugandan army, did not respond to questions about how Mr. Besigye arrived in Uganda or appeared in military court. But, “I believe Kenya is a sovereign country and they can answer your questions,” he said in a text message.

Korir Sing’Oei, the principal secretary of Kenya’s foreign ministry, did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Besigye, who is also a physician, has in the past been arrested and assaulted by security officers, placed under house arrest to prevent him holding political rallies, and accused of treason and rape. He was acquitted of rape, and the treason charges were later quashed.

Other Ugandans who have challenged the decades-long rule of President Yoweri Museveni have faced similar fates. Mr. Museveni, a key Western ally, has governed the East African nation with an iron fist for almost four decades by muzzling the press and jailing and torturing detractors while winning elections marred by allegations of fraud.

Bobi Wine, a pop star who has become Mr. Museveni’s foremost challenger, called Mr. Besigye’s latest arrest “most unfortunate” and “of greatest concern.”

Mr. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has previously been beaten and tear-gassed and was shot in the leg by the police in September. Mr. Wine has also accused the president, his son and other top government officials of committing crimes against humanity and has filed, along with others, a case against them in the International Criminal Court.

On Wednesday, both Kenyan and Ugandan opposition officials decried the mysterious way in which Mr. Besigye was removed from Kenya — which has seen a wave of abductions in recent months. These include the kidnap and torture of activists and protesters who have been agitating against the government of President William Ruto.

“Kenya must decide whether we want to be a constitutional democracy governed by the primacy of the Bill of Rights and tenets of justice, or a tyranny,” James Orengo, the governor of Siaya County and a member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, said on social media.

In October, the United Nations refugee agency said it was “deeply concerned” that Kenya had sent back four Turkish refugees who had been abducted by masked men at gunpoint. In July, three dozen Ugandan opposition members who had traveled to Kenya to participate in a governance course were deported. They were charged with terrorism-related offenses once they arrived home.

“Ruto’s government is not only perfecting illegal abductions of its citizens, but it is facilitating and participating in international abductions in total disregard of Kenyan and international laws on due process and substantive justice,” Waikwa Wanyoike, a Kenyan constitutional lawyer, said in an interview.

Musinguzi Blanshe contributed reporting from Kampala, Uganda.