Ugandan court jails TikToker for six years for “insulting” Museveni, his wife, and son
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
TikToker Edward Awebwa has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Ugandan court for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, his wife Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi in a video he posted on the platform.
Museveni has been in power since 1986 and charging a citizen for insulting him is in contrast to what is happening in neighbouring Kenya where protesting youths have for weeks called President William Ruto names and demanded his resignation for imposing a new tax folks say they cannot bear.
Ruto has since capitulated by withdrawing the tax bill and sacking his entire cabinet, barring his Vice President, to placate the agitators. They are still insisting on his stepping down regardless.
The BBC reports Awebwa in Uganda was charged with hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against Museveni, his wife Janet, and son Muhoozi, who is the head of the military.
The court also heard that Awebwa had shared abusive information and had said there would be an increase in taxes under Museveni.
He had pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.
Presiding magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis said while Awebwa had pleaded for mercy, he did not look remorseful for his actions, and the words used in the video were “really vulgar”.
She ruled “the accused deserves a punishment which will enable him learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady and the first son.”
He was sentenced to six years for each of the four charges against him, which are to run concurrently.
Rights groups regularly denounce Ugandan authorities for violations of human rights and freedom of expression.
In 2022, award-winning Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with two counts of “offensive communication” after making unflattering remarks about the president and his son on Twitter.
He fled the country to Germany after spending a month in jail, where he claimed he had been tortured.
Activist and writer Stella Nyanzi, who is also in exile, had earlier been jailed after publishing a poem that was critical against Museveni.
Museveni came to power 14 years before Awebwa was born.
In 2022, he signed into law a bill against speech which rights groups criticised, saying it was aimed at suppressing freedom of speech online.
Last year, the constitutional court ruled that a section of the act that penalised “offensive communication” was unconstitutional.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka said Awebwa was charged under the same broader law they are still challenging in court because “it is vague.”
He told the BBC Newsday programme that Museveni and his family should expect to be criticised “at whatever angle”.
“Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticising them at every point,” he said.
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