9th/ April / 2014
Press Statement: For immediate release
Media under continued attack; police
raid radio stations in Western Uganda
Human
Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) is dismayed and deeply
concerned with the heightened narrowing space for the media in Uganda. For the
last 3 months, we have witnessed numerous arbitrary raids, threats and orders
to media houses by police and other State agencies. Two radio stations in Western Uganda were
raided by the police for allegedly accommodating ‘dissenting views’.
The continued
harassment and intimidation of journalists and the media by Police and other
State machinery is leading to censorship of information for fear of being
closed down. The wanton acts of invading
media houses, the compulsory accreditation of journalists, violently blocking
peaceful assemblies and demonstrations by persons meant to provide protection
to the citizenry is despicable most especially if geared towards narrowing
space and limiting platforms for free exchange of opinions and ideas. This is
contrary to the Constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and access
to information.
On
the night of Thursday 27th-March-2014, police in Kabale Town, led by
the Kabale District Police Commander, Mr Bosco Arop, stormed the studios of
Voice of Kigezi radio and stopped a talk show in which Bishop (Rtd) Zac
Niringiye and the FDC leader Mugisha Muntu had been hosted accusing the duo of
‘inciting violence and disturbing peace’. The 2-hour program had gone on for
only 30 minutes when its host, Namanya Santurina, was ordered to halt it. Earlier
in the day, the police ordered two other radio stations; Hope Radio and Kabale
Freedom Radio not to host the electoral reform advocates, who have embarked on
a nationwide campaign to gunner support for electoral reforms ahead of the 2016
general elections.
On
Saturday, 29th_March-2014, police in Kasese raided another radio station
-Kasese Guide Radio and stopped a talk show in which the FDC President Mugisha
Muntu was being hosted. This attack on the radio was led by the Rwenzori
Regional Police Commander (RPC), Thomas Kasimo, who claimed that the radio
station was being used to incite violence. He invoked instructions from above
to order the closure of the program claiming that Muntu’s presence was ‘inciting
violence’. The show host, Edward Makanika, was forced to switch off the program
pre-maturely. The RPC before blocking the radio talk show had earlier on
stopped a public lecture at Kabale University claiming that it was ‘illegally
planned’.
Last year, the
country witnessed the arbitrary siege and closure of The Monitor publications
and its two sister radio stations and the Red pepper for 10 days over allegedly
giving space to dissenting views. In November 2013, police arrested a Top Radio
talk show host, Richard Kasule
a.k.a Kamagu accusing him of ‘inciting
violence’ after he had hosted the Kampala
Deputy Lord Mayor, Sulaiman Kidandala.
This situation
has been aggravated by the introduction of onerous registration processes for
journalists in Uganda including payment of high annual fees despite the African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights declaring that these onerous processes
amount to restrictions of the freedom to practice journalism and aim at
controlling rather than regulating the profession. The unfair acts of
government arm-twisting media houses to offer free prime time to state
functionaries to ‘popularize government programs’ and labeling journalists
partisan have negative impacts on freedom of expression and the media.
Debate on public
issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open. Freedom of the press is fashioned
to assure unfettered interchange of ideas for the bringing about of political
and social changes desired by the people. The Media plays a very fundamental role
in preserving a free and open society through dissemination of information that
encourages debate and contributes to good governance in Uganda.
Therefore, an environment where free flow of
information is restricted, people are intimidated for speaking out their minds
and where journalists are blocked from disseminating information is
unprogressive
Way forward
- Police should desist from interfering with media work under the guise of ‘orders from above’.
- Uganda Communications Commission and the Media Council should stop issuing unwarranted instructions to media houses
- The Ministry of Information and National Guidance should withdraw its irregular orders to broadcasters seeking for free airtime to popularize government programs
- Journalists and media practitioners should stand firm and fight for media space, freedom of expression and free speech. http://twitdoc.com/2TWL
ROBERT
SEMPALA
HRNJ-U
NATIONAL COORDINATOR
.
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