Kampala, Uganda – (AFP) – Uganda’s president pardoned 19 members of the opposition on Friday, following their conviction by a military court for treachery and illegal possession of firearms

Opposition parties in the East African nation have been kept on a tight rein under President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1986.

“I hereby grant a pardon of the sentence to the persons of the offence of treachery… of the UPDF (army) act and unlawful possession of ammunitions contrary to the Firearms Act,” Museveni said in the pardon.

Sixteen members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) were sentenced to five years in prison in October by a military court on charges of “illegal possession of explosive devices and treachery”.

Three other NUP members were also convicted and sentenced on similar charges.

All had spent four years in jail before they were convicted, with the court deducting the time served from their sentence.

The proceedings were decried as suspect from the beginning by their defence lawyer and NUP head.

While they had all pleaded guilty to the charges, NUP leader Bobi Wine — whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi — claimed they had been forced to enter that plea and seek a presidential pardon.

Their defence lawyer Shamim Malende also told AFP earlier this year that “circumstances surrounding their plea of guilty to the charges they had denied previously was questionable”.