The United Nations has called on Uganda to lift a nationwide internet blackout ahead of Thursday’s general election, describing the restrictions as “deeply worrying.”
The UN Human Rights Office stressed in a social media post Wednesday that “open access to communication & information is key to free & genuine elections.”
“All Ugandans must be able to take part in shaping their future & the future of their country,” it said.
The blackout began Tuesday evening after the Uganda Communications Commission instructed mobile operators to block public internet access, as the country prepared for its 15 January vote. Internet monitor NetBlocks said the nation is “in the midst of a widespread internet shutdown,” warning the move could reduce transparency and increase the risk of vote fraud.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces a challenge from pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine. Museveni’s government has been accused of cracking down on critics, arresting opposition leaders and disrupting campaign rallies.
The UN also warned last week that Ugandans would vote amid “widespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views.”
The Uganda Communications Commission defended the shutdown as necessary to curb “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.”
Amnesty International’s Tigere Chagutah called the blackout “a brazen attack on the right to freedom of expression,” highlighting its disproportionate impact on mobility, livelihoods, and access to information.
During Uganda’s last election campaign in 2021, widespread violence left at least 54 people dead, with authorities also cutting social media and internet access.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris orga...
Two people have been rescued alive from a tunnel in Nepal, nine days after catastrophic floods devastated the country, as rescuers continue se...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy says envoys from the United States will be visiting Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, prompting a last-minute reshuffle and the cancellation of some planned announcements, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A Russian court on Thursday imposed restrictions on Lida Moniava, the founder of a children’s hospice, who is accused of spreading false information about the Russian military’s actions in Ukraine.
China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO has used concealed equipment aboard some of its vessels to collect intelligence on military communications near the coastlines of countries including the U.S., according to two senior Trump administration officials.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would block federal funding for universities that boycott Israel, as Republicans push ahead with pro-Israel measures despite growing criticism of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment