A storm is brewing over the reported detention of city lawyer and political figure Erias Lukwago after a one European lawyers’ body raised concerns and called on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to intervene. The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents more than one million lawyers from 46 European countries, has […]
A storm is brewing over the reported detention of city lawyer and political figure Erias Lukwago after a one European lawyers’ body raised concerns and called on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to intervene.
The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents more than one million lawyers from 46 European countries, has written to President Museveni demanding answers over what it described as the reported detention of Lukwago.
In the June 24, 2026 letter from Brussels, CCBE President Roman Završek said the organization was deeply concerned by reports surrounding Lukwago’s arrest and the circumstances under which he was taken into custody.
According to the CCBE, Lukwago was reportedly picked up on June 15, 2026, after armed security personnel allegedly entered his home in Kampala and took him to an undisclosed location.
The lawyers’ body said the incident was particularly worrying because it allegedly happened while Lukwago was carrying out his professional duties as a lawyer in ongoing court proceedings.
The CCBE stated that Lukwago was reportedly preparing to serve legal summons on Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s army chief and son of President Museveni, when the alleged detention occurred.
The European lawyers’ organization reminded the Ugandan government of international obligations protecting lawyers from intimidation, harassment and interference while performing their duties.
It noted the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, especially provisions guaranteeing lawyers the freedom to represent clients, communicate, associate and carry out their work without fear.
The CCBE also pointed to the newly adopted Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, urging Uganda to consider signing and ratifying the agreement once it becomes available for accession.
The organization called on Ugandan authorities to immediately explain the circumstances and legal foundation of Lukwago’s reported detention.
The CCBE demanded that authorities reveal where Lukwago is being held and ensure that he is allowed to continue handling ongoing legal matters without obstruction.
“Lawyers must be able to perform their professional duties without fear of reprisal, hindrance, intimidation or harassment,” the organization said,
Makindye Chief Magistrate Sarah Anne Basemera denied bail to Kampala lawyer and opposition politician , ruling that the interests of justice currently outweigh the factors that would ordinarily favor his release.
The legal team representing Lukwago criticised the decision to deny him bail, arguing that the court wrongly relied on the seriousness of the charges and state security concerns.
Lukwago’s lawyer, Medard Lubega Sseggona, said the Chief Magistrate did not properly exercise judicial discretion when she declined to release his client.
He argued that the gravity of an offence alone should not be used as a basis to keep an accused person in custody.
Sseggona said relying on the seriousness of charges would give the state an opportunity to keep suspects incarcerated simply by attaching grave allegations to their cases.
“Relying on the gravity of the offence charged to deny bail is absolutely improper. What that would do is that if government wants you out of circulation, all they need is to make an allegation of a grave offence and then you suffer irreparably,” Sseggona said.
He noted the case of opposition figure Kizza Besigye, saying that serious charges have previously been used as a reason to keep suspects in custody for extended periods.
“Look at Dr Besigye’s case. I think now we are going into two years. They are out of circulation simply because the offence is grave,” he said.
The lawyer, however, said his criticism was not meant to attack the judiciary but to express disagreement with the reasoning behind the decision.
“I would not be party to disparaging a judicial officer. I can only air out my criticism or disagreement with respect and immense respect,” he said.
Responding to the prosecution’s argument that Lukwago could interfere with investigations and witnesses in a case carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction, Sseggona dismissed the concerns as speculative.
He argued that investigations had already been completed and that the principal suspects in the alleged treason case had already started facing trial.
“The principal alleged offenders, the treason suspects, have had their trial begin. Investigations are concluded,” he said.
Sseggona questioned how Lukwago, whom court acknowledged was unwell, could interfere with witnesses whose identities he does not even know.
“The court has accepted by judicial acceptance that the man is unwell. So you are saying this sick man is going to be running around looking for these so-called witnesses or choosers to intimidate them?” he asked.
He also argued that many of the witnesses would likely be state officials, making it unlikely that a civilian accused person would influence their testimony.
Despite the denial of bail, Sseggona said he appreciated that the court recognised Lukwago’s health concerns as genuine.
“I think the judicial officer attached sufficient weight to the health concerns that we put before court. To be fair to her, I think she weighed them,” he said.
He, however, disagreed with the court’s conclusion that the health concerns alone were insufficient to warrant release.
The lawyer said medical evidence presented before court showed that Lukwago’s condition required specialised attention that was not available within the prison health system.
He said even Mulago National Referral Hospital had previously indicated challenges in managing Lukwago’s medical conditions.
“The court examined those documents and agreed that his concerns are neither frivolous nor speculative. They are real. They are real threats to his life,” Sseggona said.
He argued that referrals are a normal part of medical practice, noting that patients, including senior government officials, are often referred to other facilities or abroad when specialised treatment is unavailable.
“Mulago referred this patient by a decision of the National Medical Board. The Medical Board of Uganda said he cannot be treated here,” he said.
