Ntungamo, 18th/May/2012; A freelance journalist for the Daily Monitor in Ntugamo
district was assaulted in prison by inmates of a crowded Ntugamo local
government prison where he had been remanded.
Rumanzi
was remanded on Wednesday by Ntungamo Grade One Magistrate Francis Matenga on
charges of incitement to violence. He had been remanded to jail until 30th/May/
2012 after failing to get two sureties. He was however released on Thursday on a non-cash
bail when Monitor Publications lawyer Joshua Mariiro secured a production
warrant and a bail application was heard. His mother Annie Rumanzi and a
station manager for a local station Radio Ankole, Eliot Kabangira Maganbe stood
surety for him.
He told Human Rights Network for
Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) that he was beaten three times by the inmates
whose leader kept questioning he had delayed to go to court. “They beat me
three times during the time I was in prison. They seemed to be working on someone’s
orders. Other inmates were not beaten that time. The healthy conditions in the
prison were appalling. The one room prison had 368 inmates instead of the 87 it
was meant to accommodate.” he said.
Prosecution alleges that Mr Rumanzi
uttered words that contravene section 51 of the Penal Code Act. The said words
were however not on the charge sheet.
He was arrested by Special Forces
Group (SFG) guarding the first Lady Janet Museveni on April 29th at
Kyamate Cathedral which is the seat of South Ankole Diocese. The SFG ordered
the police to detain him for allegedly interfering with the security of the
First Lady by interfering with their movement. He was released on bond after
two days in police custody.
At the time of his arrest, Rumanzi
was covering the installation of the members of South Ankole Diocese synod at
St. Mathew Cathedral Kyamate in Ntungamo district where Ms. Museveni was the
chief guest.
The SFG claimed that Rumanzi was arrested
for interfering with the security of the First Lady, but later the police’s crime
investigation officer said he was to be charged from sedition, while his bond
papers had the offence of obstruction. He was finally charged with inciting
violence.
He would report back to court on
June 19 for hearing of the case.
“These are tramped up charges meant
to silence any form of critical journalism. Rumanzi was initially cleared by
the SFG but later chased away from the news scene under unclear reasons. We
call upon the court to expedite the case hearing and give the journalist a fair
trial.” said the HRNJ-Uganda Programme Coordinator Wokulira Ssebaggala
For
More Information Contact;
Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda
(HRNJ-Uganda)
Kivebulaya Road Mengo Kampala Opp. St.
Marcelino Pre. School
P.O.BOX. 71314 Clock Tower Kampala
Tel: +256-414-272934 / +256-414-667627
E-mail: news@hrnjuganda.org
humanrajournalists@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.hrnjuganda.org
BLOG: http://hrnjuganda.blogpost.com
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