Uganda's Worst Year

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Report  details  arrests,  torture,  sacking  of  journalists, closure  of  stations                                     

The Ugandan government, acting through the Broadcasting Council and the Uganda Police Force, deprived more than 80 journalists of their rights and freedoms in 2009, a report by a local media organization has found. The Press Freedom Index 2009 produced by Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ-Uganda) established that the Broadcasting Council did not only arbitrarily and excessively switch off five radio stations but also caused the sacking of eighteen journalists under duress, in addition to occasioning the suffering of hundreds of journalists who were working with the closed privately owned stations. The journalists were never given a chance to be heard about their alleged crimes.

The Broadcasting Council also deprived people of their right to freedom of expression when it banned the ‘Bimeeza’ programmes whose core intention by all media providers was to create forums to enhance public participation in governance and in holding their leaders accountable. The right to freedom of expression is widely respected and known to be an essential tenet of a democratic society.

“2009 has been the worst year in the history of the media since its liberalization in the early ’90s. The media in Uganda has experienced brutal and vindictive attacks from all corners of the society, including the government which is supposed to be at the fore front of protecting it,” said the HRNJ-Uganda Board Chairperson Ssempala Robert. The year saw five privately-owned radio stations illegally closed down on allegations of incitement to violence and a number of employees fired. The radio stations closed down include two Buganda Kingdom-owned stations, 88.8 and 89.2 CBS FM which was switched off on September 10, 2009 and Ssuubi FM, Radio Two (Akaboozi ku Bbiri) and the Catholic Church-owned Radio Sapientia.
The situation degenerated further following the establishment of the Media Offences Department within the Uganda Police Force. It is meant to strengthen the government’s aggressive arm the media by against entrenching the coercive and adherent organ (Media Offences Department) to various levels in the country in order to monitor and bring up charges against critical media houses and journalists. Since its inception, more than eight journalists have fallen victim and have faced police harassment. In addition, 20 other journalists are battling it out in the courts of law on flimsy charges. Their cases range from sedition, defamation, treason to sectarianism among others.

In a further stride to tighten its grip on the media, the government has embarked on enacting stringent laws and stinging legislations including. The Interception of Communications Bill, 2007–which will compel journalists or media houses to reveal their secret sources of information. It has also proposed the extension of the pre-detention trial period from 48 hours to 90 days. – This would see critical journalists languish in detention centers for 3 months before being produced in the courts of law.

The findings indicate that sedition and criminal defamation were commonly used to criminalize journalistic work, with 14 cases in 2009, followed by promoting sectarianism with 5 cases, forgery and uttering false document with two (2) cases and treason with 1 (one) case.
However, over 35 journalists were harassed and intimidated while conducting their professional duties in 2009.

Such a figure has a big chilling effect on press freedom in Uganda and the journalism profession. It also indicates that practicing journalists are not safe and as such they can’t express themselves freely on any pertinent issues although the country is heading to 2011 general elections which call for public scrutiny.
All media incidents that increased occurred in 2009 have resulted in self censorship amongst media practitioners and the general public. The incidents have negatively affected the radio and television programming as well as the print media in terms of information content. The fact that the electronic media in Uganda has decided to engage in more entertainment clearly proves that current affairs information is no longer a priority due to fear of state interference. This is undermining the power of the media to hold public officers accountable.

Other sources of threats, harassment and intimidation include the army, Catholic Church, Hotel Africana, Hon. Samuel Odong Otto, Justice Faith Mwondha, Ethics minister Dr. Nsaba Buturo, NRM mobilisers, and the Rapid Response Unit.

In a bid to fight back in defence of their constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms, over ten journalists have dragged the government and other errant public officials to courts of law. This is a very costly venture on their part as some media houses have found themselves unable to foot the legal costs but HRNJ-Uganda came for their rescue.

The year witnessed the harshest ever attacks on the media especially by the government and security forces. Some broad measures have to be taken if there should be any light seen at the end of the tunnel in Uganda, a country with a government which boasts of having restored the rights and freedoms which had been allegedly buried deep under by past governments.