Uganda blocks social media, clamps down as president sworn in
Ugandan authorities blocked social media sites including Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp on Thursday as President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in after a disputed re-election that led to a crackdown on dissent.
KAMPALA: Ugandan authorities blocked social media sites including Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp on Thursday as President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in after a disputed re-election that led to a crackdown on dissent.
Museveni, 71, who took the oath of office at an event in Kampala, officially won 60 percent of the vote in the February ballot, extending his 30-year rule by another five years.
The opposition said the vote was rigged and protests broke out, leading to clashes with police and dozens of arrests.
Ugandan officials said it was free and fair, and dismiss accusations that they have clamped down on free speech.
On Wednesday, police arrested opposition leader Kizza Besigye after a street protest. Besigye, who heads the Forum for Democratic Change party, won 35 percent of the vote. He has been under house arrest on and off since then.
Godfrey Mutabazi, the executive director of Uganda’s telecommunications regulator, said security agencies had asked access to social media websites to be blocked “to limit the possibility of terrorists taking advantage” of visits by dignitaries.
