Hoima, 26th/September/2012; A Spice FM journalist Fred
Byenkya aka Fredo is under police harassment in Hoima for airing a recorded
sound-byte of a critical member of parliament.
Spice FM is a private media house
owned Edgar Agaba former Executive Director of Public Procurement and Disposal
Authority (PPDA) based in mid-western region of Uganda.
Human Rights Network for
Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) has learnt that on 25th/August/2012
during a political talk show called ‘Your Parliament’ Byenkya aired a sound-byte
of the Buyaga West Member of Parliament Barnabas Tinkasimire which reportedly
accused President Yoweri Museveni of failing to unite the ruling NRM party to
which he presides over as chairperson and accused government of marginalizing
the Bunyoro sub-region in development program, among others. Hon. Tinkasimire
is a member of the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM).
HRNJ-Uganda has discovered that
since the date the alleged sound byte was aired, the moderator of the show Byenkya
has been interrogated four times by different police officers at Hoima but no
charges have been brought against him.
“We invited Hon. Tinkasimire to
the talk-show, but since he was too busy in Kampala, we went to Kampala and
conducted an interview with him, when I played the sound, security officers
from Hoima district police rang me, later came over to the radio and asked for
recording. After I was summoned to Hoima police station and made me record a
3-page statement. They wanted me to clarify on what the MP had said, and
questioned why I had chosen to host Tinkasimire.” He told HRNJ-Uganda.
The detectives allegedly told him
that they suspected that the show may have caused hatred against the person of
the president.
When contacted by HRNJ-Uganda
about the progress of the police file, the District Police Commander Augustine
Kasangaki declined to comment about the matter. He said since the journalist
had not been given a police bond, there was nothing for him to say about the
matter, “Was he given a police bond? There is nothing I can tell you if he
wasn’t given a police bond.” He said before hanging up.
The officer in charge of crime at
Hoima police station Nimanya Godson also declined to give details about the
file, “I am sorry; I cannot devolve any information to you, since I don’t know
you myself. Someone can use this information for other purposes, so am sorry I
can’t divulge it to you” he told HRNJ-Uganda.
“Security apparatus in the
countryside continue to narrow space for media practitioners through intimidating,
harassing and kidnapping journalists. Such actions have got a chilling effect
on the operations of the media in the countryside and at the end the media will
promote self-censorship” HRNJ-Uganda National Coordinator Geoffrey Wokulira
Ssebaggala said.
He added that police need to learn from other countries
where police investigations are carried out before arresting a suspect.
HRNJ-Uganda condemns in the strongest terms possible the
manner under which the police in Hoima is trying misuse its powers to intimidate
media practitioners to stop availing platforms to those with divergent views to
the government.
HRNJ-Uganda calls upon the Uganda Human Rights Commission to
intervene in order to guarantee space for media practitioners in the
countryside.
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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