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NAIROBI, Kenya – Ugandan authorities on Friday accused an opposition leader and presidential candidate of violating coronavirus rules and later released him from jail, two days after his arrest sparked protests across the country that led to the death of at least 28 people and almost 600 arrests.
The candidate, Bobi Wine, arrived in court on Friday in the eastern city of Iganga under heavy security. Sporting a blue polo shirt and jeans, he looked tired but stood firm in his decision to confront President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
“It was tough. It’s been hell, ”Wine said in a video broadcast live from the courtroom on his Facebook page, before he was released on bail and released. “We will be free or die while we try to be free. We are not slaves. “
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was arrested Wednesday morning in the eastern Luuka district while preparing to hold a campaign rally that authorities said violated coronavirus safety guidelines for political campaigns. After he was shoved into a police van, authorities took him to a police station where his campaign team said he was denied access to lawyers, doctors or family members for nearly two days.
The deadly violence came just over a week after the general election campaigns began and two months before more than 17.6 million Ugandans cast their votes in more than 34,000 polling stations. Museveni, 76, will face 10 other candidates in the election, including Wine, 38.
Originally a musician, Wine rose to fame for his songs in which he accused the president and his government of limiting freedoms and being an obstacle to Uganda’s progress. In 2017, Wine won a seat in Parliament, just as Parliament passed a bill that removed the 75-year presidential age limit, effectively paving the way for Museveni to run for a sixth term.
Wine’s arrest, the second this month, reflects the adversity facing opposition figures in East African countries, including Burundi, Tanzania and Ethiopia, as they challenge entrenched political parties and leaders.
Authorities had arrested Mr. Wine several times in the past. But after Wednesday’s arrest, demonstrations and riots broke out in the capital Kampala and in major cities, with video footage showing burned tires and blocked roads. Patrick Amuriat, another presidential candidate, was also arrested that day for planning an unauthorized demonstration, and was later released.
Police say 28 people were killed in the riots, although some news reports cite higher figures, and 65 were injured.
On Friday, authorities accused Wine’s party, the National Unity Platform, of organizing violence and using social media to sow discord. They said they had collected exhibits that included “bows and arrows, stockpiled tires, bottles, fuel drums and evidence of mobile money transactions funding the rioters.”
“All indicators reveal that these events were not just improvised actions, but part of a loosely coordinated campaign,” said a police spokesman, Fred Enanga, in a statement.
Human Rights Watch said the government was using Covid-19 measures to clamp down on the opposition and the media and called on authorities to investigate the killings and allow peaceful assemblies. Uganda has so far reported 17,148 infections and 159 deaths from coronavirus.
Speaking during the campaign, Museveni warned protesters on Friday and said outside parties were influencing events in the country.
“Some of these groups are being used by outsiders, homosexuals, I don’t know, groups from outside there who don’t like the stability of Uganda, the independence of Uganda.” he said in a video posted on Twitter. “But they will find out what they are looking for.”
In his early terms, Mr. Museveni was credited with bringing peace, stability and economic growth to the country after years of political violence and upheaval. But his government has faced growing criticism for corruption and persecution of political opponents, gay men and journalists, among others.
Joel Ssenyonyi, a spokesman for Wine’s party, said the arrests and violence would not deter him from continuing to campaign against Museveni.
“Acts of brutality are intended to weaken those of us in the opposition,” he said, “but on the contrary, our resolve is strengthened.”
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