A photo posted on social media by the National Unity Platform shows a party leader being held down by two men.
Bobi Wine, Uganda’s main opposition leader, was arrested on his return from a trip abroad, according to his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP).
The singer-turned-politician arrived at Entebbe International Airport on Thursday morning after visiting several countries including South Africa.
“Our president is [Bobi Wine] As soon as I landed at the airport, I was picked up by regime operatives,” NUP general secretary David Luis Lubongoya said on X (formerly Twitter).
The post was accompanied by a photo that appeared to show two men grabbing his arms on the tarmac.
Courtesy video recorded at the time of the president’s violent arrest @hebowine By regime operatives at Entebbe Airport. pic.twitter.com/6edSt0m4mT
— National Unification Platform (@NUP_Ug) October 5, 2023
Police had no immediate comment.
Bobi Wine’s supporters had planned to accompany him in droves to his home north of the capital, Kampala, to welcome him back, but police say such gatherings are illegal. Ta.
“Such queues can disrupt the normal flow of traffic, movement of individuals and business operations along the Entebbe-Gayaza Expressway. They can also incite criminal activity, leading to theft and other could pose a danger to bystanders, drivers, passengers and businesses through criminal acts,” Kampala Police Public Relations Officer Patrick Onyango said on Wednesday.
Last month, the Ugandan police announced a ban on gatherings organized by the NUP across the country, citing security concerns.
Ugandan authorities have a long history of using so-called “preventive arrests” to detain opposition leaders to prevent large demonstrations, often holding them for several hours before returning them to their homes. .
Bobi Wine, real name Robert Kyagulanyi, is a prominent critic of President Yoweri Museveni’s government and has been arrested multiple times in the past on suspicion of human rights abuses.
He unsuccessfully ran for president in 2021 against Museveni, who is running for a sixth term.
