Regime shuts down social media as protests rock Uganda

At least two people were killed and some 120 injured in the Ugandan capital Kampala April 29 as police fired bullets and tear gas at crowds protesting the arrest of opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye. who had led recent demonstrations over rising food and fuel prices. Besigye, who was attacked with pepper spray as police snatched him from his car the previous day, was roughly treated before being released hours later. He then flew to Kenya for treatment—after an airport standoff with government agents trying to block his departure. President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the Uganda Communication Commission to shut down all social networking sites, fearing they will be used as a tool for organizing protests. (Irish Times, Reuters, April 30; Computerworld Kenya, April 28)

See our last posts on Uganda and the new regional revolutions.

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