Veteran opposition politician Kizza Besigye and his co-accused aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale, on Thursday refused to attend court proceedings, citing what they described as the court's failure to address their outstanding concerns.
The absence of the two men disrupted proceedings before the High Court, where their trial had been scheduled to continue.
After waiting for more than an hour beyond the scheduled 11:00 a.m. start time, only Captain Denis Oola, another co-accused in the case, appeared in the dock, prompting questions from court officials and observers.
Upon taking his seat, Justice Emmanuel Baguma sought an explanation from prison authorities regarding the whereabouts of Besigye and Lutale. A prisons official informed the court that the two accused persons had declined to attend because issues they previously raised remained unresolved.
During an earlier appearance, Besigye's legal team argued that two pending applications should be determined before the substantive trial could proceed.
One application seeks bail, while the other accuses the Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and other military officers of alleged human rights violations arising from the arrest and detention of the accused in military facilities.
Defence lawyer Martha Karua told the court that proceedings could not continue in the absence of the accused persons, a position that was not contested by the prosecution.
Justice Baguma subsequently scheduled the hearing of the human rights application, directing the respondents to file their responses within seven days. The defence was granted a further seven days to file a rejoinder, with the application set for hearing on June 30.
However, the judge also maintained June 30 as the date for the main trial and issued a production warrant for the absent accused persons.
Defence counsel Erias Lukwago urged the court to also fix a hearing date for the bail application, arguing that it remained an outstanding matter.
"Your Lordship, you have fixed dates for the other applications, but what about the bail application?" Lukwago asked.
The judge declined to set an immediate hearing date for the bail application but assured the defence that it would be addressed in due course.
Captain Oola also raised concerns about his detention conditions, telling the court that prison authorities had prevented him from communicating with his co-accused despite the fact that they face joint charges.
"Since I was transferred to the maximum-security prison, I have not been allowed to speak to A1 and A2. I would like to understand why. This is not in the spirit of a fair hearing and trial," Oola said.
Outside court, defence lawyers expressed concern over their inability to access Luzira Prison with electronic devices on Wednesday, despite what they said was a court order permitting the use of computers, flash drives, projectors and other electronic equipment to review prosecution evidence with their clients.
The latest developments add another layer of complexity to a case that has been marked by legal disputes over detention, bail and the circumstances surrounding the accused persons' arrest and transfer from military custody.