Abuse of power & retaliationOversight & ethics enforcementCourts & justice
Uganda's Parliament restores military trials of civilians months after the Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional
Confidence: Corroborated · 2 sourcesUganda · Oct 6, 2026
Subject of this story
Parliament of Uganda
Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda
Also named
Oversight
Supreme Court of Uganda
Advocate
Human Rights Watch
What happened
On 31 January 2025 Uganda's Supreme Court ruled trials of civilians in military courts unconstitutional and ordered pending cases moved to ordinary courts. President Museveni rejected the ruling and told the attorney general to propose changes shielding military courts. On 21 May 2025 Parliament passed the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (Amendment) Bill allowing military courts to try civilians for offences linked to the military; HRW notes the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights says military courts should not have jurisdiction over civilians.
Sources (2)
Human Rights WatchParliament passed the bill, contradicting the 31 January 2025 Supreme Court ruling that banned military trials of civilians.
Voice of AmericaMuseveni rejected the decision and ordered the attorney general to propose amendments to shield military courts from judicial oversight.
Response
Parliament of Uganda
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Yoweri Museveni
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What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.