A 24-year-old Ugandan TikToker, Edward Awebwa, has been sentenced to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a TikTok video.
Awebwa pleaded guilty to charges of hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against the first family.
The court noted Awebwa’s lack of remorse and vulgar language, emphasizing the need for a punitive measure to teach him to respect the president and his family.
Awebwa received a six-year sentence for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently.
This case has drawn attention from rights groups, who criticize Ugandan authorities for human rights violations and curbing freedom of expression.
Similar cases include award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and activist Stella Nyanzi, who faced imprisonment for critical remarks about the president and his family.
President Museveni signed a law against hate speech in 2022, which rights groups argue is designed to suppress online freedom of speech.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka argues that the president and his family should expect criticism from the public.
President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, signed a law against hate speech in 2022, which rights groups argue is designed to suppress online freedom of speech.
While the constitutional court later ruled a section of the law penalizing “offensive communication” unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under the broader law still under challenge.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka argued that the president and his family should expect criticism from the public.
“Unless they are saying that they are going to arrest every Ugandan for criticizing them at every point,” Aboneka told the BBC Newsday program
