The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has postponed the case involving TikToker Ibrahim Musana, popularly known as Pressure 24 Seven, who faces charges of promoting hate speech.
Pressure 24 Seven is accused of eight counts of promoting hate speech against President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among, and the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
The case was scheduled for hearing on Tuesday before Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi. However, in his absence, Grade One Magistrate Jalia Basajjabalaba presided over the session and adjourned the matter to December 9, 2024, citing the Chief Magistrate’s indisposition.
Prosecutors allege that between August 2023 and February 2024, while using his TikTok account, Pressure 24 Seven disseminated content that could degrade or demean and promote hostility against four leaders: Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Speaker Anita Annet Among, and State Minister for ICT Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo.
Pressure 24 Seven first appeared in court on February 24, 2024. At the time, he did not directly respond to the charges, explaining to the Chief Magistrate that he was unaware his videos constituted an offense, citing psychological distress. He revealed he had previously been admitted to Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital.
The TikToker claimed he was haunted by the spirits of deceased Buganda kings, who allegedly demanded that he repair their tombs, which he was financially unable to do. He added that he had been writing to the Buganda Kingdom for two years, asserting he is a prince and pleading for assistance, but had received no response.
Pressure 24 Seven pleaded with the court for leniency, promising to cease making defamatory content and to delete any existing hate speech material from his TikTok account.
His legal troubles began when Buganda Kingdom officials reported him to the police for ridiculing the Kabaka. He was arrested and held in police custody for a week before being brought to court. Since then, he has been released on bail, under strict conditions that prohibit him from mentioning the names of the President, Speaker of Parliament, and the Kabaka of Buganda.
Meanwhile, on Monday, another TikToker was sentenced to two years in prison by Entebbe Chief Magistrates Court for demeaning President Museveni. Earlier this year, the same court sentenced another TikToker to six years in prison on similar charges.
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