The Uganda Editors’ Guild has condemned the outrageous and unacceptable violence meted out by security forces including police and the army against journalists covering the ongoing general elections.
The editors in a statement issued yesterday indicated that despite repeated appeals to security agencies, as well as law enforcement operatives, to respect the right of journalists to work freely and accord them protection, they continue to see blatant attacks against journalists showing a complete disregard for their critical role in documenting issues of public interest.
The statement signed by Secretary, Sylvia Nankya said that, according to witnesses, it appears that in yesterday’s attacks, which left at least three journalists Ashraf Kasirye, Ali Mivule and Daniel Lutaaya in hospital with serious injuries, security agents deliberately targeted journalists.
The editors said this is unacceptable as journalism is not a crime vowing to continue to documenting collective attacks against journalists and the individual officers who carry them out and those with operational command as these acts and perpetrators should not go unrecorded or unpunished
The editors have since petitioned Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola and the Chief of Defence Forces Gen. David Muhoozi to rein in the men and officers under their command and to order transparent and independent investigations.
The editors have jointly threatened to withdraw journalists from covering the general elections, state events over repeated harassment by security forces.
