Kizza Besigye, former Ugandan presidential candidate jailed on a treason charge, was granted bail Tuesday.
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This morning the High Court judge Justice Wilson Musene Musalu explained that bail is representative of the notion that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty.
The state asked court to impose stringent terms on Besigye if it decides to grant him bail.
The announcement was made as court convened on Monday morning to hear an application for bail by the former Forum for Democratic Change presidential candidate who is now facing treason charges.
The judge however warned Besigye to refrain from acts of violence and preserve peace in the community until the case is over. Muyita said Besigye was ordered to report to court every two weeks.
The State Prosecutor had appealed to the court on Tuesday to reject Besigye’s application stating that if granted bail he will restart his defiance campaign.
The start of the treason case has not been scheduled. He however protested the withdrawal of the charges calling it a total abuse of power. According to official results, the longtime president, Yoweri Museveni, won with over 60 percent of the votes.
Besigye, who came second in the February 18 polls insists that he won the elections but the country’s Supreme Court upheld the official results indicating that Museveni, who has been in power for over 30 years, won the polls.
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Treason is a capital offence in Uganda, but the death penalty has not been carried out for years.
