Burora Charged with Hate Speech and Sharing Malicious Information.

Burora Charged with Hate Speech and Sharing Malicious Information.

What you need to Know!

“Former Rubaga RCC Herbert Anderson Burora’s house was besieged, and he was arrested by security operatives due to his speeches against the Speaker and other ministers in the NRM government”.

It was later reported that the abducted Burora was in the safe hands of the Uganda police, and today, the detainee was charged with hate speech and sharing malicious information.

The Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) has sanctioned charges against former Rubaga Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner Herbert Anderson Burora for hate speech and sharing malicious information. This legal action follows Mr. Burora’s social media activities on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Mr. Burora was apprehended by security personnel on Monday night from his home in Kigowa-Ntinda, located in the Nakawa Division. The arrest stemmed from allegations regarding his posts on his X handle, “@harderHB,” which were said to have been made between March and June. According to the charge sheet drawn by Ms. Mildred Ntono, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer attached to Kira Division Police, Mr. Burora’s posts allegedly contained content that was likely to ridicule, degrade, demean, and promote hostility against the person of the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda.

In a second charge, Ms. Ntono indicated that Mr. Burora used the same X account to disseminate malicious information concerning Speaker Anita Among.

This development occurs amid intense scrutiny and sanctions imposed by Western governments. Speaker Among had previously demonstrated a conciliatory stance by rejecting calls from Makerere University to investigate law lecturers over the conduct of end-of-semester exams that had parodied her person and work. At that time, she emphasized that Parliament is a public institution open to scrutiny and criticism.

However, it has since been revealed that the case against Mr. Burora was reported by Mr. Rajab Kaaya, who claims to be a principal private secretary to the Speaker. Despite the seriousness of the charges, the file prepared by CID officer Ntono does not reflect a DPP file number, raising questions about the procedural aspects of the case.

This incident highlights the ongoing tensions and challenges surrounding freedom of expression and the boundaries of social media discourse in Uganda. The legal proceedings against Mr. Burora will undoubtedly attract significant attention as they unfold, reflecting broader issues of governance, accountability, and the role of public officials in the digital age.