Emmanuel Nabugodi pleaded guilty to the charge of spreading hate speech, and prosecutors have requested the court to impose a seven-year sentence on him.

A Ugandan court has convicted a 21-year-old content creator for calling for the public flogging of President Yoweri Museveni on the video-sharing platform TikTok. The convicted individual, Emmanuel Nabugodi, created a video that depicted a mock trial of the president and has been charged with spreading hate speech against the head of state. According to a state prosecutor, Nabugodi faces up to seven years in prison. He pleaded guilty to the charge on Wednesday and was remanded in custody at the notorious Kigo maximum security prison near Kampala. He will remain there until November 18, when his sentencing will take place. State attorney Paul Aheebwa Byamukama revealed that prosecutors are asking the Entebbe court to impose a seven-year sentence on Nabugodi.

Nabugodi's case is not isolated, as he is the fourth Ugandan to appear in court and be remanded in custody in the last two days for insulting President Museveni and his family. This follows a similar pattern of arrests and convictions of individuals expressing criticism of the president. For example, in July, another 21-year-old TikTok user was sentenced to six years in prison for insulting Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since he took power in 1986 after overthrowing President Milton Obote.

Another notable case involved award-winning author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who was arrested in late 2021 and charged with insulting President Museveni and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Many Ugandans believe that Muhoozi is positioning himself to succeed his 80-year-old father as president. Rukirabashaija, who was subjected to torture during his month-long detention in Uganda, eventually fled into exile in Germany. His courage in speaking out against the government earned him the 2021 PEN Pinter Prize for International Writer of Courage, awarded annually to a writer persecuted for expressing their beliefs.

In 2020, a group of four members of a comedy troupe was also jailed for releasing a video that sarcastically called on Ugandans to pray for their leaders, including Museveni, the police chief, and the head of prisons. The arrest occurred as the government was on high alert ahead of the 2021 elections. Following an online campaign demanding their release, the charges were eventually dropped.

These cases are a stark reminder of the state of press freedom in Uganda, where the government maintains tight control over media and expression. Uganda ranks a lowly 128 out of 180 countries worldwide on the press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders. This reflects the ongoing challenges for free speech in the country, with many individuals facing serious consequences for expressing dissenting opinions.