A Twitter post shared under the #WeAreRemovingADictator hashtag on January 13, 2021, shared a contact supposedly provided by the United States Senate for Ugandans to send all videos on human rights violations during the ongoing elections. The instructions are to “Add a short description & include location where it happened.”
Similar claims on Twitter and Facebook are archived here and here respectively.
Background
Voting is underway in Uganda, in a tense presidential election pitting longtime President Yoweri Museveni against opposition frontrunner Bobi Wine. The run-up to these elections has been marred by political violence, with dozens being killed by security forces amid crackdowns on opposition rallies and repeated intimidation and arrest of opposition figures.
Internet access has been shut down and there are fears of unrest as security forces try to stop supporters of leading opposition challenger Bobi Wine from monitoring polling stations.
Verification
An online search for the phone number +12028992701 locates it in the Washington District of Columbia but it provides no links to the US Senate.
The US Senate website provides a contact with instructions on how to reach the Senate office.
The Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, did, however, in a tweet dated Jan 13, 2021, express his concerns following orders to shut down the Internet in Uganda saying “such restrictions undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Verdict
The claim that the US Senate has provided a contact for Ugandans to send human rights violations videos during the ongoing general elections is FALSE.
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