A Ugandan court has sentenced a 24-year-old man to six years in prison for insulting the president and first family through a video posted on TikTok.
Edward Awebwa has been accused of making hate speeches and spreading “hate speech” against President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni and the army chief’s son Muhuzi Kenerugaba. “Misleading and malicious” messages.
The court also heard Awebwa shared abusive messages saying taxes would increase under President Museveni.
He has pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness.
The presiding judge said that although he had pleaded for mercy, he did not appear to be remorseful for his actions and that the language used in the video was “really vulgar”.
District Judge Stella Maris Amabilis said: “The defendant deserves a punishment that will allow him to learn from the past so that next time he can respect the president, the first lady and the eldest son.”
He was sentenced to six years in prison on each of the four counts, which will be tried concurrently.
Human rights groups regularly accuse Ugandan authorities of violating human rights and freedom of expression.
In 2022, award-winning Ugandan writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was charged with two counts of “offensive speech” after posting disrespectful remarks about the president and his son on Twitter.
He spent a month in prison before fleeing to Germany, where he claims he was tortured.
Stella Nyanzi, an activist and writer also in exile, was earlier jailed for publishing a poem critical of Mr Museveni.
President Museveni has been in power since 1986, 14 years before Awebwa was born.
In 2022, he signed an anti-speech law that was criticized by human rights groups, saying it was aimed at suppressing free speech online.
Last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that parts of the bill punishing “offensive communications” were unconstitutional.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka said Awebwa was charged under the same broader law but they were still challenging it in court because “the law is vague”.
He told BBC Newsday the president and his family should expect criticism from “any angle”.
“Unless they say they will arrest every Ugandan who criticizes them at any time,” he said.
