Bobi Wine, Ugandan opposition leader, arrested at airport
Bobi Wine, a former pop star is a prominent critic of President Yoweri Museveni and his government and has faced numerous arrests and alleged human rights abuses in the past. Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, a prominent critic of President Yoweri Museveni and his government, was arrested at Entebbe International Airport on Thursday. His supporters had planned to accompany him en masse to his home north of the capital Kampala to welcome him back to the country, but police had said such a gathering was illegal. The arrest follows a long history of using so-called “preventive arrest” to detain opposition leaders, often holding them for several hours before returning them to their homes to stymie mass demonstrations. Wine's return was eagerly anticipated by his supporters, many of whom view him as a symbol of change in a country ruled for so long by one man. The next presidential ballot is due in 2026.
Veröffentlicht : vor 2 Jahren durch Agence France-Presse in Travel World
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Bobi Wine, Ugandan opposition leader, arrested at airport before supporters can greet him
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was arrested on Thursday on his return home from a trip abroad, a top party official said. “The cowardly regime has arrested our President upon arrival at Entebbe Airport. We set out to receive him today, but the panicky regime security could not even allow him into immigration,” Mathias Mpuuga, leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) in the Ugandan parliament, said on X, formerly Twitter. David Lewis Rubongoya, the general secretary of the NUP posted a photo on X appearing to show two men seizing Wine by the arms on the tarmac at Entebbe International Airport. Twitter screen shot of Ugandan opposition leader Bobbi Wine being taken into custody on the tarmac at Entebbe International Airport. Photo: Twitter @DavidLRubongoya Wine’s supporters had planned to accompany him en masse to his home north of the capital Kampala to welcome him back to the country, but police had said such a gathering was illegal.
Wine, a former pop star whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is a prominent critic of President Yoweri Museveni and his government and has faced numerous arrests and alleged human rights abuses in the past. Last month, Ugandan police announced they were banning rallies being organised by the NUP across the country because of public order issues. Wine made a failed bid for the presidency in 2021 in a tense election against Museveni, who has ruled over Uganda with an iron fist since 1986. The election campaign was marked by a crackdown on the opposition and at least 54 people were killed during anti-government demonstrations. Wine’s return was eagerly anticipated by his supporters, many of whom view him as a symbol of change in a country ruled for so long by one man. Ugandan soldiers and other security forces had been deployed on roads leading to Entebbe airport since early on Thursday morning, as well as outside NUP offices and in Kampala’s central business district. Police had warned organisers not to go ahead with the planned procession and for people not to join the gathering, with police spokesman Patrick Onyango describing it as an “illegality”. Bobi Wine arrives to address Ugandans living in South Africa on political issues in their home country outside Johannesburg on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters Ugandan authorities have a long history of using so-called “preventive arrest” to detain opposition leaders, often holding them for several hours before returning them to their homes to stymie mass demonstrations. Once hailed for his commitment to good governance, former rebel leader Museveni has crushed any opposition and tweaked the constitution to allow himself to run again and again. The next presidential ballot is due in 2026. Museveni, 79, who is currently serving a sixth term in power, has yet to say if he will stand.