A Ugandan court has convicted a 21-year-old TikToker, Emmanuel Nabugodi, for urging the public to flog President Yoweri Museveni in a TikTok video.
Nabugodi, who posted a video simulating a mock trial of Museveni, now faces up to seven years in prison for “spreading hate speech” against the president.
Nabugodi pleaded guilty on Wednesday, November 13, and was remanded to Kigo maximum security prison near Kampala until his sentencing, set for November 18. State attorney Paul Aheebwa Byamukama stated that prosecutors are seeking a full seven-year sentence.
This case marks Nabugodi as the fourth Ugandan in two days to be charged and detained for making derogatory remarks about Museveni and his family.
In a similar incident in July, another 21-year-old TikToker received a six-year prison sentence for insulting the long-serving president, who has led Uganda since ousting Milton Obote in 1986.
Prominent Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was also arrested in late 2021 for criticizing Museveni and his influential son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is seen by many as a potential successor.
Rukirabashaija, who was awarded the 2021 PEN Pinter Prize for an International Writer of Courage, reported being tortured during his month-long detention before fleeing to Germany.
In 2020, four members of a comedy troupe were jailed for releasing a satirical video calling on Ugandans to pray for leaders like Museveni, the police chief, and the head of prisons. However, public outcry led to the charges being dropped, and the group was eventually released.
