Martha Karua, a Kenyan human rights lawyer who is part of the legal team for Uganda’s opposition politician Kizza Besigye, was on 22 June 2026, arbitrarily arrested and held in incommunicado detention at Entebbe International Airport before being forcefully deported. In response to these developments, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah said:
“Martha Karua’s detention and subsequent deportation are unlawful and outrageous. They are not only a blatant violation of the East Africa Community Treaty, but also a shameless attempt to suppress trial observation which is central to the transparency of court processes.
“This arrest, coming days after the arbitrary detention and torture of Kizza Besigye’s lead defence counsel Erias Lukwago, (whose bail application hearing she was going to attend), points to a continuation of a long and disturbing pattern of arbitrary arrests, torture and ill treatment of Kizza Besigye’s legal team. Amnesty International reminds the Ugandan authorities that Kizza Besigye has a right to legal representation.
Martha Karua’s detention and subsequent deportation are unlawful and outrageous. They are not only a blatant violation of the East Africa Community Treaty, but also a shameless attempt to suppress trial observation which is central to the transparency of court processes.
