May 12 Ugandan authorities blocked social media sites including Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp on Thursday as President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in after a disputed re-election that led to a crackdown on dissent.
Museveni, 71, who took the oath of office at an event in Kampala, officially won 60 percent of the vote in the February ballot, extending his 30-year rule by another five years.
The opposition said the vote was rigged and protests broke out, leading to clashes with police and dozens of arrests.
Ugandan officials said it was free and fair, and dismiss accusations that they have clamped down on free speech.
On Wednesday, police arrested opposition leader Kizza Besigye after a street protest. Besigye, who heads the Forum for Democratic Change party, won 35 percent of the vote. He has been under house arrest on and off since then.
Godfrey Mutabazi, the executive director of Uganda's telecommunications regulator, said security agencies had asked access to social media websites to be blocked "to limit the possibility of terrorists taking advantage" of visits by dignitaries.
Uganda is hosting several heads of state for the ceremony.
Residents said the sites had been inaccessible since late Wednesday.
The authorities also blocked social media during voting and shortly afterwards, a move criticised at the time by the United States and rights groups, who said it undermined the integrity of the process.
EU monitors said the election was held in an intimidating atmosphere and the electoral body lacked independence and transparency.
The government has also banned live television or radio coverage of protests.
One mobile operator, South Africa's MTN Group, told customers in a message that social media had been temporarily blocked at the request of the authorities.
In the days leading up to Museveni's swearing-in, authorities also placed more security patrols on the streets of Kampala and residents said there was a strong presence of military and police on Thursday.
Opposition to the president is strongest among youths in urban areas, where frustration has been fuelled by unemployment, corruption and crumbling public services.
Since coming to power in 1986, Museveni has been credited with restoring order after years of chaotic rule.
The economy has been growing, but experts say it has failed to keep pace with the rising population, and critics also complain about Museveni's failure to stem corruption and a clampdown on opposition voices. (Additional reporting by Elias Biryabarema in Nairobi; Editing by Edmund Blair and John Stonestreet)
Source: http://in.reuters.com
Museveni, 71, who took the oath of office at an event in Kampala, officially won 60 percent of the vote in the February ballot, extending his 30-year rule by another five years.
The opposition said the vote was rigged and protests broke out, leading to clashes with police and dozens of arrests.
Ugandan officials said it was free and fair, and dismiss accusations that they have clamped down on free speech.
On Wednesday, police arrested opposition leader Kizza Besigye after a street protest. Besigye, who heads the Forum for Democratic Change party, won 35 percent of the vote. He has been under house arrest on and off since then.
Godfrey Mutabazi, the executive director of Uganda's telecommunications regulator, said security agencies had asked access to social media websites to be blocked "to limit the possibility of terrorists taking advantage" of visits by dignitaries.
Uganda is hosting several heads of state for the ceremony.
Residents said the sites had been inaccessible since late Wednesday.
The authorities also blocked social media during voting and shortly afterwards, a move criticised at the time by the United States and rights groups, who said it undermined the integrity of the process.
EU monitors said the election was held in an intimidating atmosphere and the electoral body lacked independence and transparency.
The government has also banned live television or radio coverage of protests.
One mobile operator, South Africa's MTN Group, told customers in a message that social media had been temporarily blocked at the request of the authorities.
In the days leading up to Museveni's swearing-in, authorities also placed more security patrols on the streets of Kampala and residents said there was a strong presence of military and police on Thursday.
Opposition to the president is strongest among youths in urban areas, where frustration has been fuelled by unemployment, corruption and crumbling public services.
Since coming to power in 1986, Museveni has been credited with restoring order after years of chaotic rule.
The economy has been growing, but experts say it has failed to keep pace with the rising population, and critics also complain about Museveni's failure to stem corruption and a clampdown on opposition voices. (Additional reporting by Elias Biryabarema in Nairobi; Editing by Edmund Blair and John Stonestreet)
Source: http://in.reuters.com
