Uganda Opposition Leader Pleads Not Guilty ' name=c3> Democratic Republic of Congo to overturn the Ugandan government by force.By KATY POWNALL, Associated Press Writer Tue Apr 4, 4:16 PM ETKAMPALA, Uganda - Uganda's main opposition leader and 22 others pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of plotting to overthrow the government a case that could carry the death penalty.
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Kizza Besigye entered his plea nearly a month after being cleared of a rape charge in High Court, which called the government's investigation "crude and amateurish, betraying the motives behind the case."Besigye said the rape allegation was one of a series of charges the government fabricated to stymie his challenge to President Yoweri Museveni in February elections. Museveni won with just over 59 percent of the vote, while Besigye got 37 percent.The government's charge sheet said Besigye and others "contrived a plot" in 2001-2004 in Kampala, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo' name=c1> SEARCH
News | News Photos | Images | WebJudge Vincent Kabaga adjourned proceedings until Wednesday because of a lack of interpreters for prosecution witnesses.Besigye, a former Museveni ally, resigned from the ruling party in 2001 and established himself as the main opposition leader later that year in an election marred by allegations of widespread vote rigging.Besigye fled into exile after his defeat, saying he feared for his life. He returned from South Africa in November as head of the Forum for Democratic Change to again challenge Museveni.He appeared in court 25 times during the campaign period before the parliamentary and presidential elections.European Union' name=c1> SEARCH
News | News Photos | Images | Web' name=c3> European Union election observers said the legal charges against Besigye had hampered his electoral campaign and tilted the playing field.A decade ago, when Museveni agreed to term limits and economic liberalization, he was hailed as a new kind of African leader. But in recent years, as he has moved to consolidate power and quash dissent, Western governments and donors have reduced funding to his government.
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