Calls for Lifting Internet Blackout Grow Stronger in Uganda Ahead of Elections

International Appeals for Freedom of Expression

Uganda is facing escalating calls to lift a national internet blackout ahead of a controversial election, with the United Nations stating that the government's restrictions are "deeply concerning." In a social media post, the UN Human Rights Office emphasized that "open access to communication and information is essential for free and fair elections."

Controversial Internet Blackout

The appeal comes just a day after a Ugandan regulatory authority instructed mobile network operators to block public access to the internet, starting Tuesday evening, as the East African nation prepares for its general elections on January 15. Internet-monitoring organization NetBlocks reported that Uganda is experiencing "a large-scale internet shutdown."

Criticism of Museveni's Government

President Yoweri Museveni’s government, led by the 81-year-old leader, has been accused of overseeing a crackdown on dissent, arresting political opposition leaders and their supporters. In Thursday's elections, Museveni faces challenges from Bobi Wine, a former pop star turned politician, whose rallies have been persistently disrupted by Ugandan authorities.

The UN Human Rights Office warned last week that Ugandans will go to the polls amid "widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists, and dissenting voices."

International Reactions

The Uganda Communications Commission defended the internet shutdown as necessary to combat "disinformation, electoral fraud, and associated risks." However, Tigere Chagutah, the regional director for East and Southern Africa at Amnesty International, condemned the restrictions as "a shocking attack on the right to freedom of expression."

“It is all the more alarming considering that it is happening just before a crucial election already marred by massive repression and unprecedented actions against opposition parties and dissenting voices,” Chagutah stated. “The complete shutdown of access to the internet affects people's mobility, their livelihoods, and their ability to access vital information. These measures are disproportionate under international law and should never be imposed.”

Widespread violence during the previous electoral campaign in Uganda in 2021 left at least 54 people dead, according to Human Rights Watch, while authorities also cut access to social media and the internet.