Edward Awebwa has been sentenced to six years in prison for insulting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
The 24-year-old was accused of “using hate speech and insulting the Ugandan President, the First Lady, Janet Museveni and their son.
Entebbe Chief Magistrate Court’s Chief Magistrate, Stellah-Maris Amabilisi, issued the verdict on Wednesday. Awebwa, who operated the Tiktok account under the name “Save Media Uganda,” was detained for sharing a video insulting the first family.
He uploaded videos ridiculing the president from February to March 2024.
His arrest comes on the heels of security agencies tracking individuals using social media to vilify high-ranking government officials.
Awebwa is one of the many content creators jailed under the Computer Misuse Act of 2022 for disseminating “malicious information” and “hate speech,” a law that has been contested by Human rights activists who argue that it is oppressive.
The Computer Misuse Act of 2022 defines offensive communication as “willful and repeated use of electronic communication to disturb or attempt to disturb the peace, quiet, or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication.”
Violating this law can lead to a fine, a maximum of one year in prison, or both.