Ugandan TikToker jailed six years for insulting President Museveni

A Ugandan court has sentenced a 24-year-old man, Edward Awebwa to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni and the first family through his video posted on TikTok.

Awebwa was charged with hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against the President, First Lady Janet Museveni and son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the head of the military.

The court also heard that Awebwa had shared abusive information – saying there would be an increase in taxes under President Museveni.

He had pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.

The presiding magistrate said that while he had pleaded for mercy, he did not look remorseful for his actions, and the words used in the video were “really vulgar”.

“The accused deserves a punishment which will enable him to learn from his past so that next time he will respect the person of the president, the first lady and the first son,” Magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis said.

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.

President Museveni has been in power since 1986 – 14 years before Awebwa was born.

In 2022 he signed into law a against speech which rights groups criticised, saying it was aimed at suppressing freedom of speech online.

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