The Human Rights Network for Journalists Uganda (HRNJ-U) has today condemned the continuous detention of Red Pepper journalists who were arrested on Tuesday for the publication of a story alleging that president Museveni wants to cause overthrow the government of Rwanda led by Paul Kagame.
The five Directors and three editors were arrested on Tuesday by police counter terrorism unit under a search warrant obtained from Buganda Road Magistrate’s Court, by Deputy AIGP Henry Peter Walya. During the search at the Red Pepper offices in Namanve, electronic devices include computers and laptops were taken by investigators.
According to Red Pepper lawyer Dickens Byamukama, those arrested and detained at the notorious Nalufenya Police Station include Directors Richard Tusiime, James Mujuni, Johnson Musinguzi and Arinaitwe Rugyendo, while the Editors are Francis Tumusiime, Ben Byarabaha and Richard Kintu.
“We highly condemn the continued detention of the Red Pepper Editors and Directors at Nalufenya, a place known for hardcore criminal suspects without any justifiable reason. We believe that this is economic sabotage aimed at occasioning the media house financial loss since all its production has been stopped,” HRNJ-U Coordinator Robert Sempala said at the paper’s offices.
He added that the attack and closure of media houses in such a manner is uncalled for since the implicated personnel can be summoned to the police for interrogation and then taken to court.
“Such acts violate the constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of expression and the media in Uganda which we must resist against,” Sempala added.
