By Betty Ndagire
Makerere University research fellow Dr Stella Nyanzi who was arrested last Friday has been arraigned in court today.
Dr Nyanzi, who was on Monday morning driven from Kira Divisional Police Headquarters where she has been in custody since her arrest, to Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court in a convoy of security cars was charged in relation to the alleged offensive Facebook posts she made about President Museveni specifically.
She is charged with two counts including cyber harassment contrary to section 24 (1)(2)(a) of the Computer misuse Act 2011 and offensive communication contrary to section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
In the first count, prosecution alleges that “Dr Nyanzi on January 28, 2017 at Kampala District or thereabout used a computer to post on her Facbook page “Stella Nyanzi” wherein she made a suggestion or proposal referring to His Excellence Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as among others “a pair of buttocks” which suggestion/ proposal is obscene or indecent.”
In the second count, prosecution states that Dr Nyanzi “between January 2017 and march 2017 in Kampala district wilfully and repeatedly used electronic communication to post messages offensive in nature via Facebook, transmitted over the internet to disturb or attempted to disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of his excellency the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with no purpose of legitimate communication.
In Summary
- Dr Nyanzi was charged with two counts including cyber harassment contrary to section 24 (1)(2)(a) of the Computer misuse Act 2011 and offensive communication contrary to section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act 2011.
