A court in Uganda has sentenced 24-year-old Edward Awebwa to six years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni and his family through a TikTok video.
Awebwa was charged with hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information against President Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who heads the military. The court also heard that Awebwa had shared abusive information and predicted an increase in taxes under Museveni’s leadership.
The court also heard that Awebwa had shared abusive information and had said there would be an increase in taxes under President Museveni.
Despite pleading guilty and asking for forgiveness, Magistrate Stella Maris Amabilis deemed Awebwa unremorseful despite his “really vulgar” words in the video.
“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.
Awebwa received six-year sentences for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently.
This case has drawn attention to Uganda’s contentious relationship with free speech. Rights groups regularly denounce Ugandan authorities for human rights violations and restrictions on freedom of expression.
In 2022, President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, signed a law against offensive speech that critics argue suppresses online freedom of expression.
Previous cases have seen other critics face legal action. Award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after being charged with “offensive communication” for remarks about the president on Twitter. Activist Stella Nyanzi, now in exile, was previously jailed for a poem critical of Museveni.
Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka criticized the law used to charge Awebwa, calling it “vague” and arguing that it’s still being challenged in court. Aboneka stated that the president and his family should expect criticism “at whatever angle,” questioning whether the government intends to “arrest every Ugandan for criticising them at every point.”
This sentencing occurs against the backdrop of ongoing debates about the limits of political criticism in Uganda and raises questions about the balance between protecting leaders from defamation and preserving citizens’ rights to free speech.
