Source: Amnesty International –
In response to the Uganda Communication Commission’s (UCC) decision to indefinitely suspend internet services and certain mobile phone services ahead of tomorrow’s high stakes general election, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s East and Southern Africa Regional Director said:
“This indefinite internet shutdown is a brazen attack on the right to freedom of expression which includes access to information. It 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.
“Blanket shutdowns disrupt people’s mobility, livelihoods and their ability to access vital information. They are inherently disproportionate under international human rights law and must never be imposed.
“Cutting off internet access under the pretext of preventing misinformation or preserving national security violates human rights at a critical moment in Uganda. It creates an information vacuum and a digital darkness that may provide cover for the perpetration of serious human rights violations. The fact that no end date for the internet shutdown has been given is also ominous.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s East and Southern Africa Regional Director
“Amnesty International calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately lift all restrictions on access to the internet and affected mobile phone services.”