Kampala, Uganda. A Ugandan court has sentenced Edward Awebwa, 24, to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on TikTok. Awebwa was charged with hate speech and spreading "misleading and malicious" information, including claims of increased taxes under Museveni's leadership.
Awebwa pleaded guilty but was deemed unremorseful by the presiding magistrate, Stella Maris Amabilis, who stated that the punishment should teach him to respect the president and his family. Each of the four charges carries a six-year sentence, to be served concurrently.
Rights groups have condemned the Ugandan government for stifling freedom of expression. In 2022, author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after being jailed for offensive comments about the president and his son. Activist Stella Nyanzi also faced imprisonment for criticizing Museveni in a poem.
President Museveni, in power since 1986, signed a controversial law against online speech in 2022. While the constitutional court later ruled part of it unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under a broader law still being contested. Human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka criticized the law's vagueness and asserted that the president and his family should expect criticism.
Awebwa's case highlights ongoing tensions over freedom of speech in Uganda.
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