This archive report was first published on 29 August 2019.
On July 20, 2019, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni blocked Harvard University student Hillary Innocent Seguya Taylor on Twitter, sparking a lawsuit that has made headlines in the region.
Seguya, a Ugandan citizen pursuing a Master's degree in International Relations, claims that the President and other government officials use their Twitter accounts as public forums to disseminate information and gather feedback from citizens.
He argues that blocking him from accessing these accounts is 'illegal, improper and irrational', especially since he relies on social media to stay informed about governance in his home country.
Seguya alleges that he was blocked without notice, and as a result, he is no longer able to follow or engage with the President's and other officials' tweets.
He is seeking an order to be unblocked and general damages for the inconvenience caused.
Lawyer Male Mabirizi, who filed the petition, suggests that Seguya may have been blocked after referring to President Museveni as a 'dictator' in a tweet.
