{"id":8610,"date":"2026-01-14T18:33:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8610"},"modified":"2026-01-14T18:33:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:33:47","slug":"uganda-faces-mounting-calls-to-end-internet-blackout-before-elections-elections-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8610","title":{"rendered":"Uganda faces mounting calls to end internet blackout before elections | Elections News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Amnesty International says internet blackout \u2018especially alarming\u2019 as election campaign \u2018marred by massive repression\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 14 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">14 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Uganda is facing mounting calls to lift a nationwide internet blackout before a contentious election, with the United Nations saying the government-imposed restrictions are \u201cdeeply worrying\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a social media post on Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Office stressed that \u201copen access to communication &amp; information is key to free &amp; genuine elections\u201d.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cAll Ugandans must be able to take part in shaping their future &amp; the future of their country,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UNHumanRights\/status\/2011436800292573693\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">it said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The call comes a day after a Ugandan government regulatory body instructed mobile network operators to block public internet access, starting on Tuesday evening, as the East African country readied for a January 15 general election.<\/p>\n<p>Internet monitor <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/netblocks\/status\/2011344621578961168\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NetBlocks said<\/a> in its latest update on Wednesday that Uganda was \u201cin the midst of a widespread internet shutdown\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFar from halting misinformation, the measure is likely to limit transparency and increase the risk of vote fraud,\u201d the group warned.<\/p>\n<p>The government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, 81, has been accused of overseeing a years-long crackdown on its critics, arresting political opposition leaders and their supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Museveni is being challenged in Thursday\u2019s vote by pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, whose campaign rallies have been routinely disrupted by the Ugandan authorities.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2026\/01\/uganda-repression-and-impunity-impacting-right-participation-leadup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UN Human Rights Office<\/a> last week warned that Ugandans would be heading to the polls amid \u201cwidespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Uganda Communications Commission defended the internet shutdown as necessary to curb \u201cmisinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>But Tigere Chagutah, the East and Southern Africa regional director at Amnesty International, condemned the restrictions as \u201ca brazen attack on the right to freedom of expression\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is especially alarming coming as it does just before a crucial election already marred by massive repression and an unprecedented crackdown on opposition parties and dissenting voices,\u201d Chagutah said in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2026\/01\/uganda-internet-shutdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a statement<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlanket shutdowns disrupt people\u2019s mobility, livelihoods and their ability to access vital information. They are inherently disproportionate under international human rights law and must never be imposed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Widespread violence during Uganda\u2019s last general elections campaign, in 2021, left at least 54 people dead, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/01\/21\/uganda-elections-marred-violence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Human Rights Watch<\/a>, while t<span style=\"font-size:22px\">he authorities also cut off social media and internet access.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amnesty International says internet blackout \u2018especially alarming\u2019 as election campaign \u2018marred by massive repression\u2019. Published On 14 Jan 202614 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Uganda is facing mounting calls to lift a nationwide internet blackout before a contentious election, with the United Nations saying the government-imposed restrictions are \u201cdeeply [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}