logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2022
18m 5s

Tortured for tweeting?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

When Kakwenza Rukirabashaija mocked the Ugandan president’s son on Twitter, he knew he was playing with fire. Within 24 hours, the satirist had been arrested, and says he was tortured before fleeing the country. Throughout the ordeal, he has not stopped tweeting. He wants the world to know what is happening in Uganda before he returns to face trial, risking his life in the process.

Kakwenza’s story is not unique, A report from Human Rights Watch says hundreds of people - opponents of President Yoweri Museveni - have been illegally detained and tortured in recent years.

We meet members of the Ugandan diaspora protesting the government’s actions online. They say their accounts have been hacked and hijacked by government-sponsored cybercriminals. And that even overseas, they may not be completely safe.

Reporter: Sam Judah

(Photo: Kakwenza Rukirabashaija in court in Kampala in February, facing charges of offensive communication involving insulting the country's ruling family. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Jun 2024
Trending is moving to the Documentary Podcast
BBC Trending's podcast feed is closing, but we'll be publishing new episodes in the BBC World Service's Documentary Podcast from now on. Search for The Documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts, and subscribe to get new episodes of BBC Trending along with a range of exciting ... Show More
43s
Jun 2024
Colombia’s guerrilla recruitment video problem
Fighters from dissident armed groups in Colombia are using TikTok to glorify their lives as guerrillas and recruit youngsters.These armed groups didn't like the terms of a peace treaty negotiated between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government in 2016 ... Show More
18m 6s
Jun 2024
The Kenyan influencer championing climate denial
Jusper Machogu is a farmer from southwestern Kenya who describes himself as a “climate sceptic”: he wrongly claims that climate change is a “scam” or a “hoax” designed to hold Africa back. On social media, he has also become known as a staunch defender of fossil fuel exploration ... Show More
18m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Life After Guantánamo: “It Doesn’t Leave You”
On Tuesday, with 39 men remaining at Guantánamo Bay, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on closing the infamous military prison. This week on Intercepted: Intercept photo editor Elise Swain breaks down the horrifying story of one Yemeni man after being released from Gu ... Show More
24m 8s
Feb 2024
Another Take: Why did Honduras extradite its former president to the US?
Every Saturday, we revisit a story that’s in the news again. This week, a criminal trial started for the former president of Honduras. This originally aired on April 4, 2022. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.  Less than three weeks a ... Show More
20m 46s
Jun 2021
What’s Nigeria’s beef with Twitter?
Twitter has been suspended in Nigeria after what could be described as a spat between the social media giant and president Buhari. It’s unclear for how long this suspension is going to last, but the government’s pretty mad: they say the platform is being used to destabilise the c ... Show More
14m 52s
Jan 2023
How can African journalists challenge the dominant news narrative?
News, news, news – we love it here on Africa Daily. We like to chat about what’s happening where, to whom, why….Another man who lives and breathes the news it is Patrick Gathara. He’s a man of many talents – drawing political cartoons, but also writing editorials for internationa ... Show More
13m 41s
Mar 2021
The Khashoggi report tests US-Saudi relations
Two and a half years after the killing of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, the United States has released its official report. The report states that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman approved the operation that led to his killing. But in the days ... Show More
15m 57s
Sep 2022
How Favre We've Fallen
Outrage continues in Iran over the death of a woman detained by that country's "morality police," and at least nine people have been killed in clashes with security forces.Former N.F.L. quarterback Brett Favre has emerged as a key figure in one of the largest welfare fraud cases ... Show More
20m 36s
Jan 2022
The unanswered questions in Kazakhstan
Russian-led forces are leaving the Central Asian country after days of unrest over the rise of gas prices, corruption, and inequality. 160 people have been killed and about 12,000 have been arrested, according to authorities. Many don't know the whereabouts of their loved ones.  ... Show More
20m 54s
Apr 2023
The world watches Trump’s arrest
Tommy and Ben talk about Donald Trump’s historic arrest and arraignment, Finland PM Sanna Marin’s election loss, Taiwan’s president visits America, a potential interim Iran nuclear deal, the Washington Post’s tone deaf op-ed on veterans rights, the arrest of an American journalis ... Show More
58m 51s
Mar 2023
Donald Trump claims arrest imminent
Is former US President Donald Trump about to be arrested? He claims he is - posting on social media that he's heard leaked reports that he will be indicted. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has been investigating alleged "hush-money" payments made to adult movie actress S ... Show More
49m 4s
Dec 2021
The messy aftermath of Sudan’s coup
For weeks after the military took over Sudan on October 25, an internet shutdown made it hard to speak with people inside the country. But even as a communications blackout meant news was only trickling out of Sudan, the situation on the ground was rapidly changing. After weeks o ... Show More
19m 28s