Share this article:XBlueskyFacebookGet Article LinkOpposition leader Kizza Besigye, 70, who ran against President Yoweri Museveni in four presidential elections, was admitted to intensive care after he collapsed yesterday during a court hearing in the capital, Kampala. Besigye faces treason charges that carry the death penalty, which he stringently denies and which are widely viewed as politically motivated. Besigye’s family, opposition figures and human rights groups have called for his release on medical and humanitarian grounds. His son urged Museveni and Kainerugaba to show mercy, writing in an open letter posted on social media that “no son should have to witness his father reach such a state.” For more on Kainerugaba’s role in the Museveni regime’s repression and Uganda’s looming succession crisis, read Michael Mutyaba’s WPR briefing from January.