Mpigi, 07th/April/2014; Police in Mpigi district rescued
a Vision Group journalist from three angry teachers of Lowell Girls’ School who
mobbed him as he was covering a story of a fire break out at http://t.co/Cads8f79dAthe school on
Saturday night, 05th/April/2014. The teachers were preventing the
journalist from reporting about a fire outbreak in the school which is located at
Nakirebe village, in Kiringete Sub-county, Mpigi district.
Andrew Mugonza, a journalist with
Bukedde television was filming the Director of the school while he addressed
students immediately after the fire had been put out by the police, when a
school teacher, whose names we have not readily established, confronted him and
ordered him to stop the recording.
“A teacher who was seated next to
the director confronted me as I was recording, then he ordered me to stop. He
tried to grab my camera, when I resisted, he wrestled me down and we fell into
the students. He was joined by two other male teachers, but the police acted in
time to rescue me. My camera lens was damaged in the scuffle which lasted about
two minutes.” Mugonza told HRNJ-Uganda
in an interview.
An officer at Mpigi Police station,
Mujuni Micheal told HRNJ-Uganda that they rescued Mugonza, “A teacher who was
seated next to the school Director confronted the journalist at night when he
aimed a video camera towards the Director. I saw him pushing Mugonza. That’s I
and another police officer intervened and asked him why he was pushing the
journalist. When we blocked him, two other male teachers confronted us asking
why we were blocking their colleague. They kept following us protesting against
our act of blocking their colleague.”
The journalist however is yet to
open up a complaint against the said teachers.
HRNJ-Uganda commends the police
in Mpigi for moving fast to rescue the journalist. The police should
investigate the conduct of the said teachers and take appropriate measures.
For More Information Contact;
Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
Plot 18, Block 12 Stensera Road Kayanja Triangle Zone
P.O.BOX. 71314 Clock Tower Kampala. Tel: +256-414-272934
+256-414-272934 / +256-414-667627+256-414-667627
E-mail: news@hrnjuganda.org / humanrajournalists@yahoo.co.uk / Website: www.hrnjuganda.org; BLOG: http://hrnjuganda.blogpost.com
Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
Plot 18, Block 12 Stensera Road Kayanja Triangle Zone
P.O.BOX. 71314 Clock Tower Kampala. Tel: +256-414-272934
+256-414-272934 / +256-414-667627+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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