Ugandan journalist Andrew Arinaitwe detained on criminal trespass charges
Nairobi, March 10, 2023—Ugandan authorities should immediately release freelance journalist Andrew Arinaitwe and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Sunday, March 5, authorities arrested Arinaitwe while he was reporting at a boarding school in the central district of Wakiso, according to a statement shared with CPJ by Kiiza…
Ugandan constitutional court strikes down criminalization of ‘offensive communication’
Nairobi, January 10, 2023 — In response to news reports that Uganda’s constitutional court on Tuesday, January 10, struck down Section 25 of the country’s Computer Misuse Act, which criminalized “offensive communication,” the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement welcoming the decision: “The Ugandan constitutional court’s decision to nullify provisions of a law…
Proposed Ugandan legislation seeks to criminalize ‘misuse of social media’
Nairobi, September 28, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni not to sign into law a bill that would undermine press freedom by criminalizing speech sent via computer on a broadly defined and vaguely worded range of grounds. On September 8, Uganda’s Parliament passed the Computer Misuse…
Ugandan authorities investigate 4 journalists in murder case, charge and jail 2
Nairobi, July 22, 2022 – Ugandan authorities should release journalists Ivan Mutyaba and Denis Isabirye immediately, drop all the charges against them, and drop their investigations into reporters Jacklin Nabatanzi and Muganza Julius Kiyumba, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. The four journalists are among a group of suspects recently arrested for their alleged…
Ugandan journalist Lawrence Kitatta goes into hiding after assault, suspected surveillance
Nairobi, March 31, 2022 — Ugandan authorities should investigate a February 22 assault on and several incidents of suspected surveillance of freelance journalist Lawrence Kitatta, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Kitatta, a photojournalist and reporter, has been in hiding and unable to work since March 11, he…
Two Ugandan journalists charged with cyberstalking the president, remanded to prison
Nairobi, March 17, 2022 — Ugandan authorities should unconditionally release The Alternative Digitalk television journalists Norman Tumuhimbise and Faridah Bikobere, drop any pending investigations against seven other journalists from the online media outlet, and rigorously investigate allegations that at least two of these journalists suffered serious physical abuse while in the custody of security personnel,…
Ugandan authorities detain 2 journalists on criminal libel charges
Nairobi, June 9, 2021— Ugandan authorities should drop the criminal libel charges against journalists Pidson Kareire and Darious Magara, and reform the country’s laws to decriminalize speech, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 27, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Court in Kampala, the capital, charged Kareire and Magara with criminal defamation and…
Ugandan police summon Daily Monitor employees in libel and false news investigation
Nairobi, June 4, 2021 — Ugandan police should immediately drop their criminal investigation into the Daily Monitor newspaper and guarantee that the media can cover security forces’ alleged misconduct without retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 31, the police Criminal Investigations Department summoned Tony Glencross, the managing director of the Daily…
Ugandan soldiers assault journalists at Bobi Wine event, face opaque military trial
Nairobi, February 25, 2021 — Ugandan authorities should ensure that soldiers who recently assaulted journalists covering an opposition political event are held to account in a credible and transparent process, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 17, a group of Ugandan military police officers used sticks and batons to beat at least…
Ugandan security personnel harass journalists, shut down radio station during elections
Between January 12 and January 20, 2021, Ugandan security personnel harassed and detained at least four journalists covering the country’s general elections, and shut down at least one radio station, according to a statement by the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, a local human rights group, and journalists who spoke to CPJ. Ugandans voted in…