TikToker sentenced to 24 years in prison for insulting president and presidential family

A Ugandan court has sentenced TikTok content creator Edward Awebwa to 24 years in prison for insulting President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni and their son Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a video posted on the platform.

He was sentenced to four years in prison on six charges. However, the sentences will be served concurrently. So, he will spend a total of six years in prison.

Awebwa pleaded guilty to the charges, which included hate speech and spreading “misleading and malicious” information, but showed no remorse, presiding judge Stella Maris Amabilis said.

“The defendant deserves a sentence that allows him to learn from his past so that in future he will respect the figures of the president, the first lady and the first son,” Judge Amabilis said.

Awebwa was sentenced to six years in prison for each of the four charges, to be served concurrently. The case drew criticism from human rights groups, who accused Ugandan authorities of human rights violations and suppressing freedom of expression.

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“This is a clear indication that the government is intent on silencing dissenting voices,” said Ugandan human rights lawyer Michael Aboneka. “Unless they say they will arrest any Ugandan who criticizes them at any opportunity.”

Awebwa’s sentence has raised concerns about a broader law on hate speech, which human rights groups say is designed to suppress free speech online. While the constitutional court ruled that a section of the law punishing “offensive communication” was unconstitutional, Awebwa was charged under a broader law that is still under challenge.

The case is not isolated, as award-winning writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija and activist Stella Nyanzi have faced similar charges for criticizing the president and his family. Rukirabashaija fled to Germany after alleging torture, while Nyanzi went into exile.

President Museveni, in power since 1986, signed an anti-hate speech law in 2022 that critics say is a tool to silence opposition voices. Awebwa’s sentence has raised concerns about the shrinking space for free speech in Uganda.

TikToker sentenced to 24 years in prison for insulting president, immediate family first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.