Thursday, July 11, 2024 - A Ugandan court has sentenced a 24-year-old man to six years in prison for ‘’insulting'' the president and the first family through his video posted on TikTok.
The influencer, Edward Awebwa was charged
with hate speech and spreading "misleading and malicious" information
against President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and son Muhoozi
Kainerugaba, who is the head of the military.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire stated that
Awebwa shared videos mocking the president between February and March 2024.
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 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.
This sentencing is part of a broader
campaign by security agencies against people using social media to insult
senior government officials.
Awebwa is one of several content creators
jailed under the Computer Misuse Act of 2022 for spreading "malicious
information" and "hate speech." Human rights activists have
challenged this law in the Constitutional Court, calling it repressive.
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