The East African Law Society (EALS) has filed a suit against the Uganda government for its recent Internet shutdown.
The total shutdown was imposed on January 13th this year, a day before the General Election in which President Yoweri Museveni was declared winner.
The premier bar association in the region instituted the case before the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), challenging the legality of the action.
Before shutting down the Internet, the Uganda government blocked access to social media networking platforms and over 100 virtual private networks.
The actions by Uganda followed the footsteps of Tanzania and Burundi governments which had similarly blocked access to major social media networks during their respective polls last year.
EALS maintains that such actions were growing a worrying and growing trend of mass censorship and intolerance to dissent in the region.
"The restrictions and shutdowns are unlawful. They violate every important body of law including the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (EAC)", it said.
Internet shutdown, the bar association added, also violated the international human rights law and even the domestic laws of the affected country.
"They impermissibly limit, among others,the peoples' rights to Internet access, freedom of access to information and freedom of speech and expression", EALS said.
The restrictions are also a violation of the obligation of EAC state governments to abide by the principle of good governance and rule of law.
If not addressed in time and checked, the trend in Internet censorship in East Africa will only deepen, impacting also on democracy, accountability, transparency and social justice.
The Reference has been filed against both the Attorney General of Uganda and the Secretary General of the EAC.
It seeks compensation for the immense inconvenience and loss suffered by many Ugandan citizens, residents, and businesses.
TheArusha-based law body hopes that the Reference will serve as a deterrent for EAC member states and send the message that illegal actions will not be ignored or taken lightly.
Internet shutdown in Uganda during the January 2021 polls was one of the drawbacks mentioned by the EAC Election Observer Mission.
The six nation regional organization has expressed its concern on Internet shutdown during the recent polls in Uganda.
The regional organization said the action infringed on the freedom and right of access to information as enshrined in Uganda's Constitution.
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