Hillary Innocent Taylor Seguya (@HillaryTaylorVI on twitter), a Ugandan student at Harvard University student is seeking Shs6 billion from President Yoweri Museveni, Government Spokesperson Ofwono Opondo and Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Asan Kasingye in damages for blocking him from accessing their Twitter handles.
High Court
Justice Andrew Bashaija on Thursday heard that Seguya has suffered mental
anguish to which he seeks general damages for being inconvenienced as he does
not know what is going on with his leaders.
Mr Seguya, through his appointed lawyer, Male Mabirizi, claims that his rights
to be heard were violated as no notice or reason was given to him before he was
blocked by the three government officials.
“The respondents
have in defense in this case as Twitter channels are used to disseminate public
information which every Ugandan national has a right to know what is going on
in the country. The respondents should then be ordered to unblock the
applicant,” Mabirizi submitted in court on Thursday.
Court also heard from Mabzirizi that President Donald Trump who had blocked
some people on his Twitter account on grounds of privacy was ordered by court
to unblock them since it is a platform he uses to disseminate information for
public consumption and therefore, the High Court in Uganda ought to adopt the
same.
Mabirizi further
asked court to consider AIGP Kasingye’s January 25, 2020 decision to unblock Mr
Seguya as a clear indicator that what the trio did was illegal.
However in his defense, Kasingye had contended that although he uses his
account for sharing family related information, football, religion, jokes and
at times Police related issues, it is at a personal level like any other
Ugandan citizen.
Justice Bashaija subsequently set May 20, 2020 as the date he will deliver his ruling on the case.