Amnesty International Urges Uganda to Lift Internet Shutdown Ahead of Election Day
The organization said such measures are inherently disproportionate under international human rights law and should never be imposed.
Amnesty International has called on Ugandan authorities to urgently lift internet and mobile service restrictions imposed ahead of the country’s general election, warning that the measures constitute a serious violation of human rights.
The call follows a decision by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to indefinitely suspend internet services and restrict certain mobile phone services beginning at 6:00 pm local time on Tuesday, January 13. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported a widespread nationwide shutdown on Wednesday, confirming the disruption.
Reacting to the move, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s East and Southern Africa Regional Director, described the shutdown as “a brazen attack on the right to freedom of expression,” including the right to access information. He said the timing of the restrictions is particularly concerning, coming just before a high-stakes election already marked by repression and a crackdown on opposition parties and dissenting voices.
Amnesty International warned that blanket internet shutdowns disrupt livelihoods, limit mobility, and prevent access to essential information. The organization said such measures are inherently disproportionate under international human rights law and should never be imposed. It urged Ugandan authorities to immediately restore full access to the internet and affected mobile services.
Under the UCC directive, network operators and internet service providers were ordered to suspend internet services, halt the sale and registration of new SIM and phone cards, and stop outbound data roaming services. The regulator said the measures were necessary to curb misinformation and disinformation, prevent electoral fraud, and safeguard national security.
Internet restrictions during elections have become a recurring practice in Uganda. During the 2021 general election, a week-long internet blackout coincided with widespread unrest in which dozens of people were reportedly killed, while voters were cut off from critical electoral information.
The latest shutdown also comes amid broader restrictions on civic space. Earlier this week, the Uganda NGO Bureau suspended the permits of at least six non-governmental organizations and froze their bank accounts, limiting their ability to operate. Amnesty International noted that these actions undermine the right to freedom of association guaranteed under Uganda’s Constitution and international law.
Concerns have also been raised at the continental level. Earlier this month, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights expressed alarm over pre-election information restrictions in Uganda, as well as reports of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and abuses targeting journalists.
Amnesty International said the cumulative impact of internet restrictions, civil society clampdowns, and media harassment risks undermining the credibility of the electoral process and called on Ugandan authorities to uphold human rights during the election period.
