Uganda Law Society cautions Chief Justice Zeija on silencing social media criticism

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has cautioned the new Chief Justice, Flavian Zeija, against what it describes as attempts to suppress online criticism of the Judiciary.

The body warned  that such an approach risks undermining public confidence in the justice system. 

The statement follows the arrest of lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka, who is currently remanded to Luzira Prison over social media posts critical of senior judicial officers.

Yesterday during the opening of the New Law Year 2026, Zeia vowed to take firm action against social media users who harass and attack judicial officers online, insisting that no officer should be subjected to intimidation while executing judicial duties.

In a strongly worded public statement, ULS said the remarks demonstrated “an intolerance for social media commentary perceived as insulting or traumatic to judicial officers”. 

The lawyers’ body stressed that judges, as public officials, are not shielded from criticism. 

“Judges, like all public officials in a democratic society, do not enjoy any special immunity from criticism, caustic commentary, or even outright insult on social media or elsewhere,” the statement reads.

Counsel Mabirizi is facing charges of spreading malicious information and hate speech under the Computer Misuse Act. 

Prosecutors allege that he used his TikTok account to post videos in January 2026 that insulted Chief Justice Zeija and High Court judge Musa Ssekaana. Mabirizi has denied the charges and will remain on remand until February 18, 2026, after the court declined to grant him bail.

ULS criticised the use of what it termed “political weaponry drawn from colonial-era laws” and modern statutes such as the Computer Misuse Act to police online speech, arguing that such measures are “incompatible with a modern, independent judiciary in a constitutional democracy”. 

It warned that threats of legal action against critics risk “chilling legitimate critique and eroding public trust rather than protecting judicial dignity”.

The lawyers’ body further urged the Judiciary to remain above political contestation, stating that “the Judiciary must remain an institution of the people and above the political fray”. 

It called on Justice Zeija to abandon “any declared or implied policy of belligerency towards court users, litigants, lawyers, and the broader public”.

While acknowledging the need for decorum, ULS argued that respect for the courts must be earned through reform and performance. 

“Praise and respect will follow demonstrable improvement—not demands for it,” the statement said, adding that the Judiciary’s authority derives from “impartiality, competence, timeliness, transparency, and incorruptibility”.