Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye refused to accept court-appointed lawyers for his treason trial on Wednesday after his chosen advocates were arrested or barred from the country.

Besigye, 70, a long-time rival of President Yoweri Museveni, has been in jail since late 2024 when he was arrested in neighbouring Kenya and transferred to Uganda.

Last month, his main lawyer, former Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago, was arrested, while his other lead lawyer, Kenya's Martha Karua, was barred from entering the country.

When his treason trial began on Monday, the court said he had to choose from a list of state-approved lawyers, but Besigye has refused.

"The legal team we had is one in whose competence we placed full confidence," he told the court on Wednesday.

Case adjourned

The judge said he had two weeks to accept the lawyers and adjourned the case until July 29.

"We know this trial won't be fair. Our rights have been abused and laws are not followed. We no longer wish to be part of it," Besigye told the court on Monday.

Besigye initially faced a court martial but the case was later moved to a civilian court after the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts.

The civilian trial was set to start in September 2025 but there were long delays because the state only presented evidence in June, just as he was losing access to his lawyers.

Besigye has also argued he is being illegally denied bail and medical treatment.