Uganda security forces withdraw from Bobi Wine’s home ending 11 days of house arrest

Bobi Wine addresses the media next to his wife Barbara, as security forces surround their home on January 15, 2021 in Kampala

(CNN)Security forces have withdrawn from Ugandan presidential candidate Bobi Wine’s residence after he spent 11 days under house arrest, his lawyer told CNN on Tuesday.
“They are now leaving, we hope this doesn’t change later today,” George Musisi said.

The Ugandan High Court ordered security forces to end Wine’s house arrest on Monday.

Justice Michael Elubu, who heads the court’s civil division, said if the government had evidence against Wine, he should be charged in court and not “held unjustifiably at his home,” according to Musisi.

Wine, a popular singer, 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.

President Yoweri Museveni was declared winner of the elections for a record sixth term by the country’s electoral commission, amid fraud and rigging allegations.

Wine rejects the election results, saying he has evidence of fraud and intimidation.
Wine’s team will decide today whether they will appeal the results of the elections. Wine’s team had hoped to decide sooner, but have been unable to meet because of the house arrest, Musisi added.

The deadline to do so is on February 2.
The US embassy in Uganda welcomed the High Court ruling and said it “underscores the role of an impartial judiciary.”

“Freedom of expression, assembly, & movement must be respected for all in a democratic society,” it said in a tweet on Monday.

The US ambassador, Natalie E. Brown, was blocked from visiting Wine on January 18 when she went to check on his health and safety, she said in a Facebook post.