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In response to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) shutting down access to social media services in the run-up to the January 14 general election, Sarah Jackson, Amnesty Iinternational Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said:
“Amid concerns about threatening rhetoric from top brass government officials, use of violence and a intensification of repression against political opposition, human rights defenders, activists, journalists and civil society actors, It is alarming that the Ugandan authorities have suspended social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp and restricted people.‘s right to freedom of expression and access to information.
“The move is clearly intended to silence the few accredited election observers, opposition politicians, human rights defenders, activists, journalists and bloggers who are monitoring the elections. These closures constitute a violation of the right to freedom of expression and access to information. Ugandan authorities must lift all blankets immediately restrictions and put an end to their wave of political repression before the general elections.“
Despite banning social media, the Ugandan authorities are circumventing their own restrictions on communicating on these channels. Similarly, telecommunications suppliers They are announcing their compliance with the closure of social networks in the same channels that have closed.
Social media closures have occurred in previous Ugandan electionsand in 6, authorities organized telecommunications companies to block access to social networks on mobile phones.
Background
Uganda‘s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in office for more than 34 years, is seeking a sixth term. On January 12, he accused Facebook and other anonymous persons of interfering in the electoral process. On the same day, Irene, Executive Director of UCC Sewankambo ordered telecommunications companies “immediately suspend any access and use“ of social media and online messaging platforms. Service providers such as Airtel and MTN Uganda have already written to their subscribers announcing the suspension.
January 9 Facebook shut down dozens of pro-government claiming that they were “fake and duplicate accounts“ linked to country‘YeMystery of meinformation to make content appear more popular before the elections.
Silencing peaceful dissent and closing the meThe internet and social media show that the authorities are violating their international human rights obligations, including those relating to the right to freedom of expression provided for in article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights‘ Rights. Uganda is a State party to both.
In 2016, the African Commission on People and Peoples‘ Rights adopted a resolution in which it expressed concern about “the emerging practice of States Parties to interrupt or limit access to telecommunications services“.
