UGANDAN opposition figure Kizza Besigye was charged with treason today, adding to legal troubles arising from allegations that he had plotted to remove President Yoweri Museveni by force.

Mr Besigye, who has been a presidential candidate four times, sat in a wheelchair as he faced the charges in a courtroom in the capital Kampala. Treason carries the death penalty in Uganda.

The 68-year-old has been in custody since November 16, when he went missing in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Days later, he appeared before a military tribunal in Kampala to face charges of threatening national security.

The Supreme Court stopped his military trial last month, ruling that court-martial panels cannot try civilians. Mr Besigye’s family, supporters and others wanted him freed immediately, but he was kept in a maximum-security prison and later started a hunger strike.

He has looked frail in recent court appearances, leading to concerns that any harm to him in prison could trigger deadly unrest. Many Ugandans are urging authorities to release him on compassionate grounds.

Mr Besigye was remanded in custody until March 7, when he is expected back in court.

Amnesty International joined the calls for Mr Besigye’s release, saying his “abduction clearly violated international human rights law and the process of extradition with its requisite fair trial protections.”

This is the second time Mr Besigye has faced treason charges stemming from allegations that he had tried to overthrow the government. The first case, brought in 2005, failed to take off.

This time, he and others are accused of attending meetings, in European cities and elsewhere, during which Mr Besigye allegedly solicited “military, financial and other logistical support to overturn the government of Uganda as by law established,” according to the charge sheet.

His lawyer Erias Lukwago described the case as politically motivated. He told reporters that Mr Besigye was now ending his hunger strike after being charged in a civilian court.

President Museveni has said his political rival must answer for “the very serious offences he is alleged to have been planning.” He rejected calls by some people for forgiveness and instead urged “a quick trial so that facts come out.”

Mr Besigye’s case is being watched closely by Ugandans anxious about political manoeuvres in the run-up to presidential elections next year.

Although Mr Museveni is expected to seek re-election, some observers believe he may step aside in favour of his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in a coup.

Mr Kainerugaba, Uganda’s top military commander, has accused Mr Besigye of plotting to assassinate his father.

Mr Besigye, a physician who retired from the military with the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change, for many years Uganda’s most prominent opposition party. He is a fierce critic of Mr Museveni, for whom he once served as a military assistant and personal doctor.

Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since gaining independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.