A Ugandan court docket has sentenced a 24-year-old man to 6 years in jail for insulting the president and the primary household by means of his video posted on TikTok.
Edward Awebwa was charged with hate speech and spreading “deceptive and malicious” info towards President Yoweri Museveni, First Woman Janet Museveni and son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who’s the pinnacle of the navy.
The court docket additionally heard that Awebwa had shared abusive info – saying there could be a rise in taxes below President Museveni.
He had pleaded responsible and requested for forgiveness.
The presiding Justice of the Peace mentioned that whereas he had pleaded for mercy, he didn’t look remorseful for his actions, and the phrases used within the video have been “actually vulgar”.
“The accused deserves a punishment which can allow him be taught from his previous in order that subsequent time he’ll respect the individual of the president, the primary girl and the primary son,” Justice of the Peace Stella Maris Amabilis mentioned.
He was sentenced to 6 years for every of the 4 fees towards him, that are to run concurrently.
Rights teams frequently denounce Ugandan authorities for violations of human rights and freedom of expression.
In 2022, award-winning Ugandan writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with two counts of “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks concerning the president and his son on Twitter.
He fled the nation to Germany after spending a month in jail, the place he claimed he had been tortured.
Activist and author Stella Nyanzi, who can also be in exile, had earlier been jailed after publishing a poem that was essential towards Mr Museveni.
President Museveni has been in energy since 1986 – 14 years earlier than Awebwa was born.
In 2022 he signed into legislation a towards speech which rights teams criticised, saying it was aimed toward suppressing freedom of speech on-line.
Final yr, the constitutional court docket dominated {that a} part of the act that penalised “offensive communication” was unconstitutional.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka mentioned Awebwa had been charged below the identical broader legislation that they’re nonetheless difficult in court docket as a result of “it’s obscure”.
He informed the BBC Newsday programme that the president and his household ought to count on to be criticised “at no matter angle”.
“Until they’re saying that they’re going to arrest each Ugandan for criticising them at each level,” he mentioned.
