A Ugandan court has sentenced Edward Awebwa, a 24-year-old man, to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni and his family in a TikTok video.
Awebwa was charged with hate speech and disseminating “misleading and malicious” information against President Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of the military.
The court heard that Awebwa shared abusive information and claimed there would be an increase in taxes under President Museveni.
Despite pleading guilty and asking for forgiveness, the presiding magistrate noted Awebwa’s lack of remorse and described his language as “really vulgar.”
Magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis stated, “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.”
Awebwa received six-year sentences for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently.
Rights groups frequently criticize Ugandan authorities for human rights and freedom of expression violations.
In 2022, award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija faced charges of “offensive communication” after making derogatory remarks about the president and his son on Twitter.
He fled to Germany after claiming he was tortured during a month-long jail term.
Similarly, activist and writer Stella Nyanzi, now in exile, was previously jailed for publishing a critical poem about President Museveni.
President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986—14 years before Awebwa was born—signed a law in 2022 aimed at curbing online speech, which rights groups argued suppressed freedom of expression.
Although the constitutional court later ruled that penalizing “offensive communication” was unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under a broader law still being contested.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka remarked that the president and his family should expect criticism, stating, “Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticizing them at every point” .
Source-BBC
