Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Ugandan authorities to investigate the detention and subsequent deportation of prominent Kenyan human rights lawyer Martha Karua, which the organization described as being politically motivated in nature.
Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah stated, “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.”
Martha Karua is Kenya’s former justice minister and a renowned human rights lawyer. Karua entered Uganda to attend the court mention of Ugandan lawyer Erias Lukwago, who was charged with misprision of treason, which is a legal offense that happens when an individual is aware of treasonous activity being carried out but purposefully conceals this information. Rights organizations have pushed back against the unveiling of charges against Lukwago, stating that it was only brought against him to prevent him from representing Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, who is facing his own treason trial.
In late 2024, Besigye was abducted and later resurfaced at a military court in the capital city of Kampala in Uganda, where he was first charged with unlawfully possessing weaponry. Since then, he has been denied bail, subjected to severe physical and psychological torture methods such as being beaten, publicly humiliated, and he was denied access to legal representation. In early 2025, his lawyer was prevented from accessing the part of the military court which was reserved for defendants’ lawyers, a move that law societies have condemned as violating Article 14(3)(d) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
According to the Ugandan Law Society, Karua’s deportation, despite her entering the country legally and being appointed persona non grata (unwelcome person), represents how political intervention results in systemic threats against lawyers trying to uphold the rule of law.