Kampala, Uganda - Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye made a brief appearance in the civil court on Wednesday as lawyers tried to secure their freedom, but the judge said he was too uncomfortable to comply with the lawsuit.

Besigye, who has been in custody since November, was sent back to the highest security prison in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

Besigye's ongoing detention is attracting more attention as his supporters, activists and others warn him that he needs medical services and should be removed from prison conditions. They said any harm to him during the detention could trigger fatal unrest in the East African country.

His family said he had begun protesting his continued detention after Uganda's Supreme Court ruled last month that the military court could not try civilians. Besigye's lawyer said he and others who face charges before the military court should be released immediately. Judicial officials said they are studying the evidence against Besigye in order to accuse him in civil court.

Four-term presidential candidate Besigye is an outstanding opposition figure in Uganda. For years he was President Yoweri Museveni's most serious challenger, who held power since 1986 until the rise of an opposition figure known as Bobi Wine.

On November 16, Besigye disappeared in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. He was later charged with betrayal in the same court, a crime in military law, and sentenced to death.

The Commonwealth National Organization, which is a member of Uganda, urges Ugandan authorities to release Besigye and his co-defendant, an assistant named Obeid Lutale. The group said in a statement that they were “improperly detained.”

"Their ongoing detention raises serious questions about Uganda's commitment to upholding the rule of law, the main purposes and values ​​of our shared Commonwealth Charter," it said.

Amnesty International also called on Besigye to release, saying: "His kidnapping clearly violates international human rights law and extradition process, with its necessary fair trial protection."

But the president suggested that authorities are unlikely to release Besiger without a trial, and said in a statement that his competitors must answer “very serious crimes he allegedly has been planning.”

Museveni rejected some people’s calls for forgiveness and instead urged “a quick trial to make the facts come into being.”

Military prosecutors accused Besigye of soliciting weapons at a conference in Europe with the aim of undermining national security. The allegations have not been confirmed, but the president's son, Army Commander Muhoozi Kaiinerugaba, claimed that Besigye planned the assassination of Museveni.

"But all of you remember. Besigye wanted to kill my father.

Besigye’s wife, Unaids executive director Winnie Byanyima, said her husband is being framed. The allegations were politically motivated, his lawyer said.

Ugandans are paying close attention to Besigye's case ahead of next year's presidential election. While Museveni is expected to seek reelection, some observers believe he may step out to support Kaierugaba in a blood-balanced coup.

Many expect an unpredictable political transition, as Museveni has no obvious successor in the ranks of the Resistance Party in the country.

Besigye, a qualified doctor, retired from Uganda's colonel and was the former chairman of the forum for the Democratic Change Party, the most outstanding opposition group in Uganda. He is a fierce critic of Museveni, who has served as a military assistant and a private doctor.

Uganda has never seen a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from colonial rule sixty years ago.