A group of Ugandans staged a protest outside Oxford Crown Court on Friday morning as Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe awaited sentencing following her conviction on modern slavery-related charges.
The demonstrators, some of whom described the trial as a miscarriage of justice, held placards questioning the fairness of the case and urging British authorities to reconsider her conviction.
Justice Mugambe, a former High Court judge in Uganda, was convicted on March 13 on four counts, including trafficking a Ugandan woman to the UK under false pretences, forced labour, an immigration offence, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
Outside the court, protesters expressed solidarity with Mugambe, holding up handwritten signs with messages such as: “CPS, is this prosecution or persecution?”, “Wake up Britain – this is an asylum scam, not domestic slavery”, and “Condemnation without full cultural context equals injustice and unfairness.”
Others framed the case as politically or culturally misinterpreted.
“The Ugandan community – we stand with Lydia Mugambe,” read one sign. Another asked, “Who is exploiting who in this case?”
“We are here to say this is not modern slavery,” said one of the protesters, declining to be named.
“It is an immigration scam. The judge is being punished unfairly because the full context has been ignored.”
The crowd, made up largely of Ugandans living in the UK, said the prosecution failed to appreciate cultural dynamics around domestic work, family arrangements, and traditional hierarchies, which they argue were misconstrued as coercive or abusive.
One sign read: “Judge Lydia Mugambe deserves fairness, not a rush to judgement.”
The Crown Prosecution Service, however, said the verdict was based on evidence that proved Mugambe had trafficked the victim under false promises and subjected her to exploitative conditions once in the UK.
One protester’s placard read simply, “African judge deserves justice too,” reflecting a broader concern among supporters that Mugambe may have been treated with bias because of her background and status.
Despite the conviction, supporters are urging both British and Ugandan authorities to intervene.
Some are also calling for a review of the victim’s asylum claim, which they believe was manipulated to target Mugambe unfairly.
As sentencing proceedings began inside, the demonstrators vowed to continue pressing for what they termed “a just and culturally informed resolution.”
Justice Mugambe’s legal team is expected to appeal the conviction.