Uganda police arrest two presidential aspirants

Amama Mbabazi was arrested in the town of Jinja, Central Uganda, while the popular opposition figure Kizza Besigye was arrested just outside his home in the outskirts of Kampala. According to police, the two had intentions of holding public rallies. Police also say that they did not have permission to hold public meetings.

The police released the two late on Thursday (10.07.2015).

Museveni has come under heavy criticism from rights groups both within and outside the country for his crackdown on the opposition.

Earlier this year Museveni who has been in power for close to three decades was endorsed by his party to be the sole candidate in the upcoming elections. But Mbabazi, a former close ally of the president, announced last month that he would challenge the 70-year-old incumbent for the nomination.

The move sparked criticism from the government, which pointed out that many of the failings of which Mbabazi accuses Museveni, happened when he was the party's secretary general.

Police brutality

Many Ugandans believe that the police have become partisan and the heavy-handedness on the opposition is meant to ensure that Museveni remains unchallenged.

Angelo Izama, a political commentator in Uganda thinks that the arrest the duo is not entirely justified.

"The police in Uganda are a partisan institution and they make no pretence about it,” he told DW. They don't even need a specific," he said.

"This is just a display of strength. The actual legal case is just flimsy and I think Mbabazi's lawyers have also made that point."

Opposition protest

Following the arrest of Kizza Besigye, his supporters immediately held demonstrations and blocked traffic heading to and from Kampala city center. This led to a number of them being arrested.

Opposition leaders also held a press conference to denounce police's actions of the arbitrary arrests. Asuman Basalirwa, the leader for the Democratic Alliance, an umbrella group of opposition parties, told DW's correspondent in Kampala Alex Gitta, that such arrests would provoke the opposition to resort to violence.

"The people who are subjected to all the torture, the violations, are Ugandans. They belong to our respective political parties. If government chooses that path, we have the capacity to respond in the same way. But that's not an option," he explained. "We will continue to choose the path of dialogue. Not as a sign of weakness but because we love our country."

It should be recalled that neither Kizza Besigye nor Amama Mbabazi have not yet been chosen as the flag bearers of their respective parties in the upcoming general elections scheduled for next year.