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Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed a power outage on social media during the election period amid calls for respect for human rights. The government sent a massive military presence to “maintain order”.
As Ugandans prepare to vote in what observers consider to be one of the most competitive elections in Ugandan political history, President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed that social media was turned off ahead of the Thursday 14 poll. January.
“The government shut down social media. It’s unfortunate but it’s inevitable, ”Museveni said in a national speech on Tuesday.
In response to the conduct of @Twitter and @Facebookdecision of the President of Uganda to suspend and block government-oriented user accounts @KagutaMuseveni said there was no way anyone would come and decide for our country. @OfwonoOpondo pic.twitter.com/MFPqqj7Rba
– Government of Uganda (@GovUganda) January 12, 2021
While working on this article, the author was unable to communicate with DW correspondents or rights activists in Uganda via WhatsApp. There were also considerable difficulties in calling Ugandans directly over standard mobile phone networks.
Netblocks, an organization that tracks internet connectivity, reported that most social networks have been down since Tuesday, including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Viber.
Confirmed: restricted social networks and messaging in #Uganda as the authorities impose a gag order on the Internet for the elections; data shows Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype, Viber and some Google and Telegram servers affected #UgandaDecides2021
📰https: //t.co/0qQtBcr4Fc pic.twitter.com/zQTGFBKvnw
– NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) January 12, 2021
“Internet is very slow. The network is not at all good, ”Madina, a resident of the Ugandan capital, Kampala, told DW. “We can’t download anything from Facebook. We can’t download anything. So we are in this situation.
She said cutting social media would have a big impact because “for us, we use our phones to see what’s going on in Uganda or other countries. … They [the authorities] don’t want us to know or get what will happen on January 14th. Maybe that’s what they’re avoiding.
Strong military presence in the capital
The shutdown of social media adds to what is already a tense electoral atmosphere in urban centers where Museveni has deployed the army, fearing riots that could overwhelm the regime.
The military presence is particularly strong in Kampala, where dozens of armored vehicles equipped with mounted rifles patrol the capital.
“It doesn’t look like the country is running into an election,” said Nicholas Opiyo, a prominent Ugandan human rights lawyer. “We have the impression that the country is at war.”
He described the mood in Kampala as apprehensive, telling DW that many people he knew had sent their families out of the country or into the countryside because they were afraid.
Access to the Internet, a fundamental human right
The shutdown of social media, however, will make it more difficult for independent observers and journalists to report on the violence and any other issues that may hinder the elections.
In a letter to the Ugandan government, the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday joined 54 other organizations calling on President Museveni to keep the internet connected during and after Thursday’s polls.
The letter stresses that any disruption of the internet will prevent journalists from reporting effectively and also violate the rights of citizens to obtain critical information at a critical time.
The letter also expressed concern over a request from the Museveni government to Google asking the tech giant to shut down the YouTube channels of opposition figures.
Opposition Platform for National Unity presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, warned on Twitter that the government had denied many international journalists accreditation to cover the news. ‘election.
We have lost count of the number of international journalists who told us that they had been refused accreditation visas to come to Uganda and cover the elections! Added to this is the government’s deliberate refusal to invite observers perceived as very objective! #WeAreRemovingADictator
– WINE BOBI (@HEBobiwine) January 11, 2021
Controversial tax on social media
President Yoweri Museveni complained in 2018 that young people spend too much time on WhatsApp and other online applications – and are responsible for spreading false information.
Later that same year, the Ugandan government introduced the “over-the-top” tax – commonly known as the social media tax – for online services such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.
Since then, social media users in Uganda have to pay an additional 200 USh ($ 0.05, € 0.04) to access social media platforms.
This has led technically savvy Ugandans to turn to virtual private networks, or VPNs, to evade payment.
For many young Ugandans criticizing the government, the tax boycott has become a means of rebelling against the ruling NRM party.
The added bonus is that those who already use VPNs can easily bypass this latest social network outage.
“Since [Monday], we had a problem with the internet, especially people who use [the social media tax]. They found it so difficult, but with people who had downloaded a VPN before, everything is fine, ”Kampala resident Gerald Sengelo told DW.
The “ Facebook controversy ”
On Monday, Facebook deleted several accounts linked to President Museveni’s administration. The social media giant alleged that some of the profiles were fake and manipulated public opinion to favor the government while attacking the opposition.
The government dismissed the charges and accused Facebook of “interfering in the country’s elections”.
He has since demanded that those deleted accounts be reinstated.
“Uganda is ours. It is not for anyone. There is no way anyone can come and play with our country to decide who is good, who is bad, ”President Museveni said in response to Facebook’s take down orders.
WATCH: We demand that @Facebook & @Twitter write directly to people who have lost their accounts. Since @Facebook city @MoICT_Ug in their statement, let them write to us so that there is a chance for a fair hearing.
Lost Facebook accounts belong to @GovUganda employees. pic.twitter.com/gGSDYkfgWI– Ugandan Media Center (@UgandaMediaCent) January 12, 2021
Rights activist Nicholas Opiyo said he was not surprised by the tech giant’s move.
“We saw a long time coming because the Ministry of Information created a group of people to abuse others online,” Opiyo said. “They [Ugandan government] created a system that would manipulate public consciousness and public debate. And luckily, Facebook was able to identify and block these accounts. “
According to the award-winning lawyer, Facebook should have blocked these accounts a long time ago because they distorted the quality of the political debate.
“They are creating an artificial debate online to try to paint a picture that is not the truth. So I’m very happy that Facebook has taken this step, ”added Opiyo.
Pay the ultimate price
Opiyo spent time in prison after being charged with money laundering and is now out on bail.
He described the allegations as a continuation of a model targeting civil society leaders. “It left me more emboldened to continue doing what we were doing,” Opiyo said.
“It may be difficult to do, but we will try as much as we can, using all means and resources to continue doing what we are doing to defend human rights, because our work is needed most. at times like this. “
The Ugandan government has cracked down on opposition politicians and activists, as well as journalists. He accuses the opposition of flouting the rules for preventing covid-19.
“When the authorities seek to abuse rights. When they seek to silence people, we should seek them more. So we will continue to do what we are doing. And I’m happy to pay the ultimate price. “
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