This archive report was first published on 19 October 2021.
On October 19, 2021, Turkish authorities released Ugandan opposition supporter Fred Lumbuye, who had been held at the Kocaeli Foreigners Detention Centre in Turkey since early August.
Lumbuye, a supporter of the National Unity Platform (NUP) led by Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, was arrested over immigration issues and accusations of inciting violence among Ugandans in Turkey.
According to Muwadda Nkunyingi, the shadow minister for Foreign Affairs, Lumbuye was arrested over an expired visa and overstay in the country.
Although released, the charges against him will continue to be pursued, Nkunyingi said, noting that lawyers had briefed the Ugandan team.
‘I have talked to him, and he is at his home in Istanbul, Turkey. He is in good spirits and happy to be back home,’ said Mr Nkunyingi, who was part of the legal team that had challenged his detention.
Ugandan Foreign Affairs minister Henry Oryem Okello had announced Lumbuye's arrest and said he would be deported back to the country.
However, Lumbuye's release was secured by his new lawyer, Adnan Sahin, who had helped the NUP party leaders with the case.
