Ugandan opposition lawyer and politician Erias Lukwago has been charged with complicity in treason, in a case that has intensified scrutiny of President Yoweri Museveni’s government and its treatment of critics.

Lukwago, a prominent opposition figure and long-time legal representative of veteran challenger Kizza Besigye, appeared before a magistrate’s court in Kampala looking frail but composed, according to journalists present. Prosecutors accuse him of failing to report an alleged treason plot said to have been discussed in neighbouring Kenya between 2021 and 2024, an offence that carries a possible life sentence.

The case has been formally joined to that of Besigye, who is himself facing treason charges after being seized in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda. Lukwago told the court the accusations defy logic, insisting that as Besigye’s lawyer he could not simultaneously be a co-conspirator. “I am the one who has been counsel in that case. How could I be counsel in a case I am involved in?” he asked.

Lukwago’s family say he was abducted earlier in the week by armed security personnel who stormed his home, jumped over the gate and bundled him into a waiting vehicle. His whereabouts were unknown until Uganda’s powerful army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, publicly claimed responsibility.

Kainerugaba, who is Museveni’s son and a key power broker, posted images on social media showing Lukwago blindfolded in an undisclosed location. In accompanying messages to his large online following, he vowed to inflict “hurt and pain” on what he called “the criminal Lukwago” and predicted the lawyer would spend at least a decade behind bars.

The general’s comments have fuelled alarm among rights advocates, who say they underscore a culture of impunity within the security services. Kainerugaba is known for provocative online statements and has previously boasted of operations targeting opposition activists.

Rights defender Agather Atuhaire said the episode illustrates how state institutions are being weaponised against dissent. She accused the authorities of not only violating the law and committing abuses, but “gloating” about them in public.

Lukwago’s legal team has applied for bail on medical grounds, citing his deteriorating health in custody. The court has adjourned the bail hearing, leaving one of Uganda’s most prominent opposition voices in detention as his treason case moves forward.