Shutting down the internet days before elections representsis a blatant assaultattack on press freedom and democracy. Security forces haveare brutallybrutalizing attacked journalists covering opposition rallies, usingarresting tearactivists gas, stun guns and physicalsuspending violence while authorities suspend human rights organizations documentingthat thesedocument abuses. This coordinated crackdownrepression aims to silence independentscrutiny reportingduring anda preventcritical citizensdemocratic frommoment witnessingwhen electoralcitizens fraudneed duringinformation a crucial democratic momentmost.
Temporary internet restrictions protect election integrity from verified external cyber-attacks targeting Uganda'svoting democratic processsystems. When hackers actively attempt to compromise voterresults registerstransmission and resultstallying transmission systemsinfrastructure, the state has a duty to preventsafeguard the silentvote theft of citizens' willitself. DoingA nothingstolen inelection thethrough facedigital of cyber-interference isn'tis neutralitya —far it'sgreater negligencerights thatviolation risksthan a stolenbrief electionconnectivity whose consequences would linger for yearspause.
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