Uganda govt moves to ban YouTube channels linked to presidential candidate

The government of Uganda is making moves to block the YouTube channel linked to presidential candidate, Bobi Wine, alleging that the channels were linked to last month’s riots that left more than 50 people dead.

Reports on Tuesday revealed that Uganda’s regulator of the communications sector has written to Google, which owns YouTube, a video sharing platform, asking it to close 14 channels with some of them allegedly linked to Bobi Wine.

The commission, in its letter to Google yesterday, said the channels were used to mobilise riots and broadcast content that are against the law, the Daily Monitor newspaper reports.

Some of the YouTube channels targeted for closure are linked to Bobi Wine, but the head of legal affairs at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) told Bloomberg that it’s just “a coincidence”.

READ ALSO: U.S reacts as three people killed in Uganda during violence over arrest of presidential candidate

This came after Ripples Nigeria had reported that Bobi Wine was charged by a court in Uganda for breaching COVID-19 protocols.

Wine was however released later after he was arraigned for allegedly spreading the virus.

The court argued that the 38-year-old held a large rally this week. But human rights groups said the charge was designed to suppress political opposition.

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