A 21-year-old TikToker, Emmanuel Nabugodi, has been sentenced to 32 months in prison in Uganda for creating a satirical video deemed insulting to President Yoweri Museveni. The video, which depicted a mock trial and called for Museveni’s public flogging, led to charges including hate speech and spreading malicious information.
Nabugodi pleaded guilty last week, and the sentencing was handed down by Chief Magistrate Stellah Maris Amabilis in Entebbe. The judge stated that the sentence aimed to deter social media attacks, adding, “This court hopes that by the time the convict leaves prison, he would have learnt that abusing people in the name of getting content is bad.” Nabugodi retains the right to appeal within 14 days.
The conviction falls under Uganda’s 2022 Computer Misuse Act amendment, which criminalizes online content likely to ridicule, degrade, or demean individuals or groups. Rights groups have condemned the law, asserting it is used to suppress free speech and intimidate critics of Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
Similar cases have drawn international criticism. In July, another TikToker, Edward Awebwa, was sentenced to six years in prison on related charges. Three others currently await trial for content shared on TikTok, highlighting the growing crackdown on online expression in Uganda.
International human rights organizations and watchdogs continue to raise concerns about the Ugandan government’s restrictive policies on freedom of speech. Last year, the US State Department criticized the Computer Misuse Act in its human rights report, stating it has been weaponized to suppress dissent and silence critics.