Digital activists challenge Uganda's harsh new internet law - Los Angeles Times

KAMPALA, Uganda — 

Ugandan activists launched a ineligible situation Monday to arguable caller authorities criminalizing immoderate net enactment successful the East African country.

Their petition to the law tribunal argues that the statement of computer-related crimes successful the measure enacted with President Yoweri Museveni’s signature past week violates the close to state of look and criminalizes immoderate integer work, including investigative journalism.

In presenting their petition astatine the tribunal successful the capital, Kampala, the petitioners were backed by soundless protesters who carried placards speechmaking “This instrumentality is worthy breaking.”

The legislation accrued the restrictions introduced successful a arguable 2011 instrumentality connected the misuse of computers. The legislation, passed by the nationalist assembly successful September, was brought by a lawmaker who said it was indispensable to deter those who fell down computers to wounded others.

The caller instrumentality proposes jailhouse presumption of up to 7 years successful immoderate cases, including for offenses related to the transmission of accusation astir a idiosyncratic without their consent, arsenic good arsenic the sharing oregon intercepting of accusation without authorization.

“Yes, we unrecorded successful the integer space. But bash you person the close to instrumentality my representation and usage it for your interests?” Muhammad Nsereko, the lawmaker who brought the bill, told the Associated Press by telephone Monday.

Opponents of the instrumentality accidental it volition stifle state of look successful a state wherever galore of Museveni’s opponents — for years incapable to signifier thoroughfare protests — often rise their concerns connected Twitter and different online sites. Others accidental it volition termination investigative journalism.

Critics see the Committee to Protect Journalists arsenic good arsenic Amnesty International, which called the authorities “draconian.”

“This portion of authorities threatens the close to state of look online, including the close to person and impart information, connected the pretext of outlawing unsolicited, false, malicious, hateful and unwarranted information,” Amnesty International’s Muleya Mwananyanda said.

“It is designed to deliberately people critics of authorities and it volition beryllium utilized to soundlessness dissent and forestall radical from speaking out.”

While the instrumentality has utile provisions specified arsenic those protecting the close to privacy, including liable sum of children, “it introduces punitive penalties for anyone accused of alleged hatred speech,” the connection added.

Museveni, 78, has held powerfulness successful Uganda since 1986 and won reelection past year. Although helium is fashionable among immoderate Ugandans who praise him for restoring comparative bid and economical stability, galore of his opponents picture his regularisation arsenic authoritarian.