Ugandan prosecutors have questioned the sanity of a prominent government critic, who has been charged with cyber harassment for calling President Yoweri Museveni a “pair of buttocks” in a Facebook post (see earlier entry ).
The hashtag #PairOfButtocks is now trending on Twitter in Uganda as people discuss the high-profile case.
Stella Nyanzi pleaded not guilty at a court in the capital Kampala, adding that she used language as a tool, which included the use of metaphor, and had in the past called Mr Museveni a rapist of the constitution.
Ms Nyanzi’s social media posts were a reaction to the government’s decision to go back on an election campaign promise to provide free sanitary pads for girls unable to afford hygiene products.
In response, she has launched her own crowdfunding campaign , which has already received several thousand dollars, to buy sanitary pads for Ugandan schoolgirls.
The prosecution argued that the well-known academic and activist was insane and should be “placed under treatment” as per the provisions of the country’s Mental Treatment Act.
In court the prosecution said:
During her detention at Kira Police, officers keenly observed that her conduct and behaviour had periodic erratic episodes and other related unusual behaviour, characterised by gross indecent utterances.
No sane person of her stature can exhibit such behaviour. [We] deeply believe that the suspect may be a person of unsound mind. [She should be] placed under treatment as per provisions of mental treatment act.”
Ms Nyanzi has been remanded in custody until the case resumes on 25 April.
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