HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK FOR

JOURNALISTS - UGANDA
In Defence & Promotion of Freedom of Expression, Information & Media Freedom

14th/February/2015
The Minister of Internal Affairs,
Gen. Aronda Nyakairima (Hon.)
Ministry of Internal Affairs,
Jinja Road, Kampala
RE: Protest letter and call for transparent investigations with a view of instituting criminal prosecution against police officers implicated in assaulting journalists on duty.
Human Rights Network for Journalists- Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) is a membership media rights
organization that defends and promotes the rights of journalists and media freedoms in the country.
HRNJ-Uganda the media fraternity and its partners are flustered by the savage and unprovoked continued
brutalization of journalists in the course of their duty by uniformed officers of the Uganda National Police
and non-uniformed individuals.
The highlight of this brutalization was witnessed on Monday, January 12, 2015, when the then Division
Police Commander (DPC) of Old Kampala Police Station, SP Joram Mwesigye, charged at journalists
covering a youth demonstration in the Capital, Kampala. He struck a Wavah Broadcasting Service (WBS)
Television cameraman, Lwanga Andrew, with an electric cable on the head, leaving him unconscious.
Joram was assisted by other junior officers. They smashed Lwangas video camera as well. They hauled
him in a salon car, registration number UAT 150L and drove him to police instead of hospital. Lwanga
was rushed to hospital by the Kampala South RPC, James Ruweza, he was hospitalized for over two
weeks, and he is still on treatment. Currently, he cannot walk on his own and is scheduled for a pending
spinal surgery.
The same Mwesigye also assaulted a Bukedde Television journalist, Joseph Ssettimba tearing his trousers
and damaging his video camera. He randomly clobbered other journalists with a cable and drove a car
towards those who survived his lashes, with the aim of knocking them down; he threatened to shoot down
whoever was filming his actions.
This action is not isolated; it is a continuation of a pattern of unprovoked police assault on journalists in
the course of their duty. Some of the major similar incidents are;
On January 13th/2015, the police, acting on the orders of SP Mugisa Charles, the DPC of Jinja Raod
Police Station tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed and humiliated journalists as they peacefully walked to the
police headquarters in Naguru to present a petition highlighting the brutal acts of police officers
against media practitioners.

In May 2014, police officers manning a tallying center hit a KFM and Dembe FM radio journalist,
Herbert Zziwa with a baton on the head while he covered the Luwero Woman Member of Parliament
by-elections. He bled profusely. He filed a case of assault at Luwero Police Station, but the file was
transferred to the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) under unclear circumstances, with no feedback
to date.
In November 2013, Mr. Mulindwa Mukasa of the Associated Press was beaten, pepper-sprayed and
forced into a small room at Wandegeya police station on the orders of the Divisional Police Commander, SP Julius Caesar Tusingwire, he accused him of taking his photographs as he harassed journalists who were reporting the arrest of a fellow journalist at the station. Tusingwire has since been
sued in his individual capacity.
We reiterate that the above actions of police officers violate the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda,
the Police Act in particular the Disciplinary Code of Conduct and all the International Treaties to which
Uganda is a signatory. The said actions of the police violate the fundamental human rights of journalists
to practice their profession; to receive, impart and disseminate timely information; denies the wider public of their inherent right to receive information on issues of public concern, and worst of all, constitute
torture, inhumane, cruel and degrading treatment, all of which necessitate prompt criminal actions under
the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act.
HRNJ-Uganda and its partners protest in the strongest terms the despicable and brutal treatment of journalists by officers of the Uganda National Police, and note with deep concern the inaction of the police
authorities to take decisive steps to meaningfully bring the perpetrators to account for their deeds. The
journalism fraternity is not satisfied with the lofty and often empty promises by the police to take action
as issued at press conferences, as witnessed by the laxity and leniency of the police authorities by
particularly referring these cases to disciplinary mechanisms other than criminal prosecutions as a way of
covering up these acts of criminality.
Accordingly, in order to restore our confidence in the police force, HRNJ-Uganda, the media fraternity
and partners demand the following;
Police should fight impunity by instituting criminal charges against all the officers implicated in
violating media freedoms and journalists rights, notably those officers who helped Joram in
assaulting journalists, DPC Mugisa Charles, ensuring the speedy trial of Joram Mwesigye, among
others.
Suspend and, or discharge officers Mwesigye, Mugisa, Tusingwire and other such errant officers
from the force.
The police carry out expeditious, honest, thorough and transparent investigations into all cases that
have been filed against its errant officers.

Release timely reports and updates of the cases handled to the public, especially to the complainants.
The Inspector General of Police should pronounce himself on uninformed men who take up the work
of police and met unwarranted violence against journalists on duty as witnessed at Namirembe road
and Jinja road.
The police leadership should desist from making hate speech against the media as these have the
potential to attract the wrath of their subordinates against the media practitioners.
For God and My Country

Robert Ssempala
National Coorditor

Plot 18, Block 12 Stensera Road Kayanja Triangle Zone

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