Five Directors and three editors of Red Pepper Publications have today been remanded to Luzira prison by Buganda road court judge James Ereemye Mawanda till December 5, following a story published which indicated that President Museveni wants to cause the overthrow of the Rwandan government led by President Paul Kagame.
Appearing before court, the eight, prosecuted by Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) lawyer Abdul Salam Waiswa, were charged of offensive communication, defamation and disturbing the reputation of the president, his brother Caleb Akandwanaho and the Minister for Security Henry Tunukunde. They were also charged with the November 20publication of information that is reportedly prejudical to national security.
However, the accused Richard Tusiime, James Mujuni, Johnson Musinguzi, Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Francis Tumusiime, Ben Byarabaha, Richard Kintu and Patrick Mugumya, denied all the charges as the prosecution dropped the treason charges that had previously leveled against the eight.
Their lawyers led by Marx Mutabingwa applied for bail but Waiswa objected, asking for more time ‘to look into substantial information presented by sureties’.
The eight were arrested last Tuesday by counter terrorism police with a search warrant obtained by Deputy AIGP Henry Peter Walya from Buganda Road Magistrates Court, allowing police to search the Red Pepper offices in Namanve.
Following the search,  the company’s electronic devices including computers, laptops and mobile phones belonging to staff were taken away, while the suspects were whisked off to the notorious Nalufenya police detention facility in Jinja.
