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‘I will not delete my posts’: Inside Uganda’s crackdown on online critics
Ugandan social media users and activists say they have faced detention, threats and alleged abductions after criticising political and military figures. Their accounts highlight concerns about the risks of online dissent and the difficulty families can face getting information about people taken into custody.
Praise Aloikin Opoloje was detained in September and charged over using a SIM card registered to her mother; she says her arrest followed a video criticising military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba. She was granted bail on October 14, but says she will continue speaking out. Emmanuel Baliza says his 17-year-old son William was taken after expressing an intention to protest and remains unaccounted for, while journalist Andrew Tabandama Natumanya says his reporting on a security operation drew scrutiny. Allegations of abduction and mistreatment in the article could not be independently verified.
In short
- Critics say online dissent has brought detention and threats.
- Opoloje was granted bail and vows to keep speaking out.
- A father says his 17-year-old son remains unaccounted for.
Explained simply
Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, has been in power since 1986, and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba is a senior military officer and the country’s army chief. Social media is an important space for Ugandans to discuss politics, public figures and security issues.
Ugandan law allows authorities to investigate some online activity, including the use of mobile phone accounts registered in another person’s name. Activists and journalists have raised concerns that detention and threats can discourage criticism, while families may struggle to find out where someone in custody is being held.
The issue matters because it touches on freedom of expression, the role of the security forces and how people can seek information when someone is detained. Accounts of abductions and mistreatment are allegations and may be difficult to verify independently.