Wakiso, 11th/July/2012; Court has renewed orders for the
arrest of two men accused of assaulting a Vision Group journalist Rebecca
Nakame.
Katongole Issa, 26 and Mutagubya
Jamil, 38 were supposed to appear in court on this day after the Entebe Court Grade
II Magistrate Nassimolo ordered for their
arrest when they failed to heed criminal summons to face trial. The two are
jointly accused with Ddungu Erias of assaulting the Bukedde Television
journalist.
Prosecution alleges that on 20th/April/2012,
the trio , at Bweya village, Ssissa sub-county in Wakiso district assaulted
Nakame occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to section 236 of The Penal Code
Act and destroyed her property –a video camera which they also confiscated.
Nakame was attacked by a mob on
the orders of one Hakaya Luswa a special police constable attached to Kajjansi
police station. She had been invited to cover a news story about a family land
wrangle, but was attacked by some family members before she started filming the
story. Luswa was however excluded from the case file for unknown reasons. He is
a police officer attached to Kajjansi Police Station.
Nakame told Human Rights Network
for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) that she was kicked, slapped, pushed and
her hair pulled as she pleaded for mercy before being saved by a local council
official. She sustained bruises and severe back pain.
The matter has been adjourned to 14th
August 2012 and the said warrant of arrest extended to the same date when all
the suspects are expected to appear.
“We hope that the police will take due diligence in
the search for the said culprits. They should be brought to court to face the
law and it’s our prayer that justice is seen to be done. We also want the police
to include Luswa on the file for his role in setting the group against the
journalist.” Said HRNJ-Uganda Programme Coordinator, Wokulira Ssebaggala
For More Information Contact;
Human
Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
Kivebulaya Road at 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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