‘I will not delete my posts’: Inside Uganda’s crackdown on online critics

Kampala, Uganda – Praise Aloikin Opoloje walks into the visitors’ waiting country astatine Luzira Women’s Prison wearing an oversized yellow-and-black striped formal and a wide smile.

Detained since September 26, 2026, she was charged with the alleged unlawful usage of a SIM paper registered successful her mother’s name. Her lawsuit has drawn attraction to the risks faced by Ugandans who usage societal media to criticise almighty governmental and subject figures.

Opoloje appeared earlier the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court connected September 28, charged with utilizing different person’s SIM paper to transportation retired amerciable activity.

She denied the complaint nether Regulation 29 of Uganda’s 2024 Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations.

Opoloje says her detention followed a video successful which she declared that she was not acrophobic of General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s subject main and lad of President Yoweri Museveni.

A video, an apprehension and an alleged threat

Opoloje says she was lured to a Kampala constabulary presumption by a mendacious accusation that she had stolen a carpet. She alleges that six men past forced her into a Toyota HiAce van, locally known arsenic a “drone”.

“We are going to amusement you what we bash to radical who insult our president,” 1 of the men allegedly told her.

She says the men bushed her, threatened to rape her and drove towards Entebbe. She feared they were taking her determination she mightiness beryllium tortured. According to Opoloje, a telephone telephone prompted the men to crook backmost towards Kampala Central Police Station.

Her relationship of the alleged abduction and mistreatment could not beryllium independently verified.

Asked whether she would cease speaking out, Opoloje said, “Me? Never. In fact, erstwhile I get out, if I do, I volition commencement from wherever I stopped. I cannot support quiescent seeing what is going connected successful the country.”

Opoloje says she feared being taken to a basement where, she believes, radical are tortured and raped. “Being successful present successful situation is amended than being successful the basement that they were taking maine to,” she says.

Since Al Jazeera’s interrogation with her, Opoloje was granted bail connected October 14, with tribunal support required earlier travelling internationally.

She besides alleges that men person threatened her mother, telling her they knew wherever she lived. Opoloje says her detention has affected her family, including her three-year-old daughter.

“I don’t deliberation my parent oregon my three-year-old girl should wage the terms for my actions,” she says.

A begetter searches for his missing son

For Emmanuel Baliza, 59, the uncertainty is different: helium says helium does not cognize wherever his 17-year-old son, William, is being held.

Emmanuel says equipped men took William from their location aft the teen expressed an volition to protestation against constabulary brutality and Uganda’s acquisition system.

Baliza Emmanuel’s 17-year-old son, William Baliza, has been missing since February [Al Jazeera]

According to Emmanuel, a alien archetypal lured him distant utilizing a pretext involving land. He says astir six men wearing subject uniforms and look coverings were waiting successful a Toyota HiAce van and searched his phone.

“I told them, that’s my son, 17-year-old William Baliza,” Emmanuel says.

He alleges that the men took William, claiming they were arresting him for readying to protestation aft the elections. They reportedly told Emmanuel they were taking his lad to the Special Investigations Unit, which handles superior and high-profile crimes, but did not supply a notation number.

Emmanuel says helium aboriginal heard that William mightiness beryllium held astatine a subject detention installation successful Kasenyi adjacent Entebbe. He says officials denied holding his son, leaving the household without confirmation of his whereabouts.

According to Emmanuel, his girl told him William had posted a connection connected TikTok reading: “Uganda is bleeding.”

Reporting connected the powerful, facing the consequences

Journalist and quality rights activistic Andrew Tabandama Natumanya says his reporting connected a information cognition involving properties linked to erstwhile Parliament Speaker Anita Among brought scrutiny from information personnel.

In May, officers searched properties linked to Among amid investigations into allegations including corruption and wealth laundering. Media reports said luxury vehicles, including a 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, were seized.

Andrew says helium posted real-time updates astir the cognition connected X, formerly Twitter. He believes the attraction his reporting attracted stemmed partially from questions astir however helium obtained accusation from wrong information agencies.

“Their main discomfort was, ‘How is helium getting this information? How is helium alert of what is happening astatine the Criminal Investigations Department? Who is giving maine these updates?’” helium says.

Andrew alleges that connected June 17, 2026, a alien lured him to a washing bay, wherever equipped unit forced him into a van.

He says helium was taken away, assaulted and humiliated. According to Andrew, officers placed his caput beneath 1 officer’s feet earlier stripping him bare and photographing him.

“Not adjacent a brace of socks was connected my body,” helium says.

He further alleges that officers warned him against continuing to people his updates online.

“You support posting what you post, you volition besides spot these things connected the internet,” helium recalls them saying.

Andrew says helium was detained for 5 days earlier being released connected bail. He besides alleges that the acquisition had consequences for his family, including threats and difficulties affecting their businesses and employment prospects.

“Some of them are dilatory but surely turning into unemployable citizens, and immoderate of their businesses are being crippled down,” helium says.

Despite what helium describes arsenic intimidation, Andrew says helium volition proceed reporting.

“I volition not delete my (posts). I volition alteration tactics, but proceed stating facts.”

“We privation to spot a escaped Uganda,” helium adds.

Among was placed nether location arrest, but was aboriginal ordered released by President Yoweri Museveni, and the authorities decided not to prosecute charges.

Andrew’s relationship of maltreatment and harassment has not been independently verified.

When online code becomes a ineligible battle

Steven Atukwatse, a lawyer with the Agora Research Center, a quality rights organisation, says helium has represented societal media users charged nether Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act, galore of them TikTok and X users.

“Most are arrested for either criticising Museveni oregon his son, Muhoozi,” helium says.

Atukwatse says helium personally has handled 12 specified cases since November 2025.

He describes cases successful which families conflict to found wherever relatives are being held.

“They disappear, past a fewer months aboriginal they are dumped astatine constabulary stations,” helium says.

When families inquire authorities astir missing relatives, helium says, they are often told: “We bash not person the person.”

Atukwatse says the imbalance betwixt the grounds disposable to prosecutors and that disposable to defence lawyers tin marque allegations of mistreatment hard to pursue.

“While the authorities tin supply grounds of a station connected societal media, arsenic lawyers, we cannot supply important grounds of however a lawsuit was abducted oregon tortured,” helium says.

He besides says that sometimes radical are released, but the authorities leaves the charges hanging implicit them.

“Later on, the authorities loses interest, but there’s nary ceremonial withdrawal of charges, which means you whitethorn beryllium retired but not wholly free.”

The standard of the signifier is unclear.

The state’s response

Army spokesperson Colonel Chris Magezi says allegations of unlawful behaviour should beryllium supported by evidence. He says the subject operates wrong the instrumentality and works with constabulary and quality agencies erstwhile necessary.

“We bash everything successful accordance with the law,” helium says.

Magezi says suspects accused of convulsive crimes are brought earlier courts and that information agencies show societal media. He rejects the proposition that radical are being disappeared unlawfully.

“The remainder is governmental and not needfully radical being disappeared. If they disappear, they look successful court,” helium says.

He besides points to laws governing defamation.

“We person laws connected defamation,” helium says. “If you are going to accidental things astir idiosyncratic and you cannot substantiate it, you could beryllium arrested.”

The eventual destiny of the online critics remains successful the air: Opoloje was granted bail connected October 14, but the transgression complaint against her remains. Andrew was besides released connected bail, but helium says the threats and intimidation inactive loom implicit him.

Emmanuel says helium inactive does not adjacent cognize wherever his lad is being held. “I bash not cognize wherever my lad is,” helium says.