BBC Discovers Election Threats in Uganda, Ignores US Sanctions on ICC
The BBC highlights threats against Uganda's election chief over forthcoming results, citing a presidential aide's assertion that Bobi Wine 'would not be declared president, even if he wins.' This narrative paints a picture of a nation struggling with democratic norms. (Because Western nations never have 'election integrity' issues, of course.) However, the same BBC, and indeed much of Western
media, often conveniently sidesteps discussions on 'threats' to international democratic processes perpetrated by their own governments. Remember when the US government openly threatened and sanctioned judges and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for daring to investigate alleged war crimes by US and Israeli personnel? (Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, March 2020: 'We
will not tolerate our personnel being threatened by a kangaroo court.') One might wonder why threats against an African election official warrant prominent BBC coverage, yet direct threats against international judicial bodies by powerful states barely register as an eyebrow-raiser. It appears 'threats to democratic processes' are primarily newsworthy when they occur in nations outside the US/UK
sphere of influence, serving to justify selective interventions or condemnations.