A Ugandan court found 24-year-old Edward Awebwa guilty of disrespecting President Yoweri Museveni and his family through a TikTok video. The court sentenced him to six years in prison.
Entebbe Chief Magistrates Court sentences 24-year-old Tiktoker Edward Awebwa to six years in prison for using his TikTok account to insult President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni and their son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Citizens, on the other hand, have voiced their opinions, stating that the Ugandan presidency should expect to be used, misapplied, and abused from every angle unless they intend to arrest every critic.
In 2020, authorities arrested another government critic for abusing the president on the Twitter Now X platform.
There have been previous arrests for this offence. The relocation resulted in a social media blackout, which unfortunately happened during lockdown periods.
The court also learned that Awebwa had spread disparaging content, calling the president “Matako” and asserting that President Museveni would bear the burden of higher taxes.
In Uganda, netizens had limited space to criticise the state, as it is a non-democratic state with few human rights activities.