The Ugandan High Court has lifted the house arrest order of former singer and presidential aspirant, Bobi Wine after security forces surrounded the presidential candidate’s home for ten days.
Uganda’s longtime leader President Yoweri Museveni was declared winner of the elections for a record sixth term by the country’s electoral commission.
Wine, was the main opposition frontrunner in the presidential elections held on January 14 and his home has been surrounded by military and police since the elections ended.
Wine rejects the election results, saying it was filled with fraud.
He also alleged that no one has been allowed to visit his home where he has been with stuck with his wife, Barbara, and her 18-month-old niece with no food.
“The Court held that the freedom to personal liberty is too crucial that it should not be restricted casually or indefinitely,” Wine’s lawyer, George Musisi told CNN over the phone.
Justice Michael Elubu, who heads the court’s civil division, said that if the government had evidence against Wine, he should be charged in court and not “held unjustifiably at his home,” according to Musisi.
Soldiers remain at the compound and Uganda’s military has a “history of defying court orders,” Musisi said. He added that they would petition the court for each soldier that remains to be held in contempt.
Wine’s lawyer said he will decide in the next 24 hours whether they will appeal the results of the elections.
