Agency
Joint organizations advocating for journalists’ rights have announced a boycott of all security agency-related activities.
This is in response to the violence against journalists by security agencies during the Kawempe North By-election.
On Thursday, Several Journalists were attacked by security personnel, mainly from Uganda People’s Defence Forces-UPDF and Police.
Those who were assaulted and injured include Abubaker Lubowa, Denis Kagubo, Raymond Tamale, and Hasifa Nanvuma from the Nation Media Group (Daily Monitor, NTV, and Spark TV), as well as Hakiima Wampamba and Francis Isano from Next Media.
The UPDF soldiers also damaged or confiscated many of their gadgets.
Various journalist bodies that advocate for the press freedom, including the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), Uganda Parliament Press Association (UPPA), Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA), and Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda (HRNJ), held a joint press briefing in Kampala, and announced a collective decision to boycott coverage of all security agency-related activities as a form of protest.
Robert Ssempala, Executive Director of the Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), stated that while the decision to boycott coverage of security agency-related activities is painful, it will serve as a crucial lesson for security agencies to prioritize journalists’ safety.The European Union has condemned the violent actions that characterized the by-election for Member of Parliament for Kawempe North constituency on Thursday.
The violence included attacks by members of security forces on journalists who were covering the polls.
Several members of the media were beaten up and are hospitalized, while others were detained with no proper explanations as to their assumed offences, and equipment was confiscated and destroyed.
Meanwhile the EU Delegation in Uganda said in a short statement that the EU was concerned about the use of excessive force against journalists covering the Kawempe by-election and called for the observance of the role of the media in democracy.
Earlier, the Acting Defense Public Information Officer, Col. Chris Magezi, issued a statement saying that the Uganda People’s Defense Force was concerned about “alleged beating and harassment of journalists” by members of the security forces.
Magezi noted that it was not yet clear what caused the “clashes between the security forces and journalists.”
Magezi said the UPDF had henceforth instituted investigations into the incidents that led to the unfortunate development.
Col. Magezi vowed that the lawbreakers would be dealt with firmly according to the laws of the land.
