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As Ugandan journalists prepare to cover presidential elections on February 18 amid political tensions and security concerns, uncertainty and fear are on the minds of reporters. That's particularly so after a year in which 52 press freedom abuses--ranging from physical and verbal intimidation to state censorship and murder--were recorded, according reports by Ugandan press freedom group Human Rights Network of Journalists (HRNJ-Uganda). Journalists Arafat Nzito and Eddie Frank are suffering lasting effects of 2010 harassment.
On November 3, 2010, four armed men kidnapped Nzito, a 23-year
old Radio
Simba reporter who covered crime and occasionally opposition
parties, and threw him into a pickup truck with tinted windows. "I spent 10
days locked in a dark room with my hands and legs handcuffed and remained on
the floor. I was not given any real meals or food. The army men would come and
scare me in the night," he told CPJ. Assailants using the same truck eventually
dumped Nzito outside the capital, Kampala, according to local journalists. His
release came a day after HRNJ-Uganda filed a habeas corpus in court compelling
the army commander, the attorney general, and the head of a security agency to
produce the journalist. HRNJ-Uganda said its
investigations determined that the journalist had been in the custody of
Uganda's Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force.
Nzito told CPJ he frequently experiences nightmares now. "I have been
dreaming about dark rooms, beatings and being held at gunpoint," he said,
adding "I am just scared for my life, and I can't communicate, work or move
freely." Nzito's ordeal forced him to move in with his family and take a pay
cut, just to have the flexibility of leaving the station before it gets dark
outside. In our phone conversation he mentioned that he still receive phone
threats. "I should watch my movements, steps, actions, and stop receiving
international calls," Nzito recalled one caller telling him.
Frank, a reporter with the U.S.-based online station Radio
Free Buganda, suffered a similar misfortune in August 2010 after
covering the 17th anniversary of
the coronation of Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the ruler of Uganda's most powerful
traditional kingdom representing the Baganda, the country's largest ethnic
group. Tensions between the government and the increasing assertion of the
kingdom in political affairs ahead of the elections had led to outbreaks of deadly violence and
the state's closure of the
kingdom's broadcast newtwork, the
Central Broadcasting Service. In response to the censorship, the founder of
Radio Free Buganda, Boston-based Ugandan-American Robert Kabuye, assigned Frank
to cover the royal celebrations for the Ugandan diaspora. "It was my pleasure
to do it," Frank recalled, adding that "it gave the outside world an
opportunity to know what is happening on the ground."
The government was not happy to hear that Radio Free Buganda was broadcasting the festivities. After the local newspapers Ggwanga and Buganda Post published stories about Frank's live broadcasts, he said he began to receive anonymous phone calls. Then, four men stormed Frank's home who took away his wireless Internet modem and computer. The next day, men Frank believed to be security agents detained him for six hours, seized his mobile phones, and pressed him to reveal whom he worked with and how much was paid. "I am scared for my life because all of my contacts were in my phones and other crucial information."
Contacted by CPJ about these accounts, a spokesman of the Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda responded broadly. "Conditions are fair and there hasn't been any journalist denied access," said the spokesman, Cris Magoba. "There are no complaints about harassment and the conditions for journalists are truly OK." He said "the biggest problem we have is self censorship; people have information but won't tell because of fear."
Magoba was right: Fear is on the minds of journalists such as Nzito and Frank. "I am not sure what will come the next day, I am thinking at anytime I will be killed or imprisoned again. Why? Because even now I am still receiving phone calls telling me if I don't stop sending Robert news from Uganda, then I will find myself in danger," Frank said. "But I cannot quit my work, I love it and I have to go on with my career."
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thats true we have alot of fears as media practitioners as we get closer to next weeks elections. cultural leaders have a law, security,nedia and religiuos leaders also not allowed to comment on these issues even in their motherland. lets that all goes on well but the good thing would be 4 the nrm to resign. any way lets pray to god.
Radio Free Buganda with the power blongs to the people. Freedom is not free!