New online law challenged in top court

Nine rights groups, a former leader of the opposition in Parliament and three prominent lawyers have lodged a petition at Uganda's Constitutional Court against the amendment to the Computer Misuse Act, signed into law by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni last month in a second challenge to the legislation. RFI reports that the Act attempts to regulate online behaviour in a ‘vague and ambiguous manner’, the petitioners, including Uganda's most prominent rights group, Chapter Four, say. Chapter Four's acting executive director, Anthony Masake, told AFP that the new law's ‘strict and vague authorisation standards’ mean that journalists will never know when they are crossing a line by collecting information on people they are reporting on. ‘We know that crimes like "offensive communication" have been effectively used to silence dissent and target people expressing politically sensitive views or pushing for government accountability.’

Amnesty has noted that the new legislation contains some useful provisions, such as the right to privacy and responsible coverage of children, but worries that the law introduces severe penalties for anyone accused of so-called hate speech, the RFI report says. People convicted under the law are barred from holding public office for 10 years, which Amnesty warned was a way of reinforcing state control over online freedom of expression, including by political opposition groups. Offenders also face fines of up to 15m Ugandan shillings (about €4 000) and prison terms of up to seven years. Uganda has seen a series of crackdowns on those opposed to Museveni's rule, with journalists attacked, lawyers jailed, vote monitors prosecuted, the internet shut down and opposition leaders violently muzzled. Legal experts have warned that the law will be used to target government critics. Thirteen petitioners, including an online TV station, lodged the first court challenge against the law last month, but no date has been set yet for the hearing.