URGENT ACTION

QUASH HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER’S CONVICTION
On 7 January, Ugandan human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza was convicted of ‘contempt of court’ and sentenced to nine months in prison by the Military Court in Kampala for protesting being stopped from entering the military court’s section where his client Dr. Kizza Besigye was being arraigned. He spent 88 days in arbitrary detention until the High Court of Uganda granted him bail on 4 April. During his arrest and prior to being taken to the detention centre, Eron Kiiza was severely beaten and later allegedly tortured by military personnel. He is still dealing with the physical and mental trauma from that ordeal. Eron Kiiza has appealed against his conviction and is awaiting the ruling.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Parliament of Uganda
Parliament Avenue
Kampala, Uganda
Email : info@statehouse.go.ug
X: @kagutamuseveniCopies to: press@statehouse.go.ug

Dear President Museveni,

I am writing to express concern about the conviction of human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, as well as his alleged torture and ill-treatment by military personnel.

Eron Kiiza was released on 4 April after the High Court granted him bail of 20 million Ugandan Shillings (about $6,000 USD) and ordered that he surrender his passport to the court. His lawyers have appealed his conviction and are seeking full exoneration. On 25 June, the High Court ordered the release of his passport enabling him to now seek healthcare abroad for both the mental and physical injuries he sustained because of his detention and alleged torture. He is currently waiting for a hearing date.
 
On the morning of 7 January, during a hearing for his client Kizza Besigye, Eron Kiiza was denied entry to the military court’s section for defence lawyers. He was arrested and summarily convicted of “contempt of court” by the General Court Martial and sentenced to nine months imprisonment without trial or legal representation. He was arbitrarily detained at Kitalya prison for 88 days.

During his arrest in the courtroom, and prior to being transported to the prison, Eron Kiiza was allegedly tortured and ill-treated – including being thoroughly beaten – by military personnel. His lawyers noticed he had bruises on his legs and arms when visiting him in detention.

Eron Kiiza’s case is an example of the misuse of the justice system, including trials of civilians in military courts, to silence its critics. Eron Kiiza has been at the forefront of not only defending various opposition leaders but also advocating for those impacted by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
 
In light of the above, I urge your government to quash Eron Kiiza’s conviction as his prosecution in unfair proceedings stems solely from the exercise of his right to freedom of expression and work as a lawyer. I further urge you to ensure a prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation is carried out into Eron Kiiza’s allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, with a view to bring those suspected of responsibility to account in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

Yours sincerely,
Additional information

Eron Kiiza is a Ugandan human rights lawyer and environmentalist. He is the co-founder of the law firm Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates and heads the Environment Shield Limited, a grassroot NGO specializing in climate, natural resources and environmental justice as components of social justice. He was one of the lawyers representing Dr Kizza Besigye, a Ugandan opposition politician and former presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party, who was abducted in Nairobi, Kenya in early November 2024. He resurfaced on 20 November 2024 when he was arraigned in a military court in Kampala, Uganda, where he was charged alongside FDC member Haji Obeid Lutale with offences relating to security and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. He was remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Kampala, Uganda, as he goes through trial. Amnesty International has called for Kizza Besigye’s immediate release as his abduction clearly violated international human rights law and the process of extradition with its requisite fair trial protections.
With regard to Eron Kiiza’s conviction and sentencing, his right to a fair trial was violated since the charges against him were not read to him. He was also denied an opportunity to take plea to any charges or respond with a defence. He was further not accorded any right to appoint counsel to represent him.
During his arbitrary detention, Eron Kiiza seemed weak and had lost an extensive amount of weight within less than two weeks of his imprisonment.
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 10 January 2026

NAME AND PRONOUN: Eron Kiiza (he/him)
LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr59/8972/2025/en/

Additional TARGETS

Her Excellency Ms Nimisha Madhvani
High Commissioner  
Uganda High Commission  
Uganda House 58-59 Trafalgar Square WC2N 5DX  
020 7839 5783  
Fax 020 7839 8925  
info@ugandahighcommission.co.uk; admin@ugandahighcommission.co.uk  
www.ugandahighcommission.co.uk 
Salutation: Your Excellency