Uganda

2013

  
Police attempt to arrest a supporter of Erias Lukwago outside his home on December 2. (Monitor)

Uganda: Block the opposition and block the press

Getting rid of an influential opposition figure is a simple two-step process for Uganda’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement: Dismiss the opponent and ensure the press cannot cover it.

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Moments before his arrest, Taylor Krauss films damage to opposition leader Kizza Besigye's car by police. (Chimpreports)

Filmmaker’s arrest signals limits to Uganda coverage

Taylor Krauss, an American journalist, freelance filmmaker, and founder of the testimonial website Voices of Rwanda, traveled to Uganda roughly two weeks ago to conduct some filming in hopes of pitching footage later to various media outlets. Krauss is no stranger to the region; he has been traveling back and forth to the country for…

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Journalists in exile 2013

Somalis, Syrians flee violence; Iran crackdown deepens Fifty-five journalists fled their homes in the past year with help from the Committee to Protect Journalists. The most common reason to go into exile was the threat of violence, such as in Somalia and Syria, two of the most deadly countries in the world for the profession.…

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Journalists for The Monitor were locked out of their newsroom for 10 days. (Daily Monitor)

Siege over, but damage to Ugandan press may last

Journalists are back to work at Uganda’s leading privately owned daily, The Monitor, after a 10-day siege of their newsroom by police. But that does not mean it is business as usual for the nation’s press. The paper’s owners at the Nation Media Group evidently begged and negotiated for its reopening–signaling to other media houses…

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A journalist is obstructed from reporting on the protest outside the offices of the Monitor. (Facebook)

Monitor, Red Pepper closures spark protests in Uganda

Nairobi, May 29, 2013–Ugandan police on Tuesday assaulted and detained several journalists who were among a crowd of demonstrators protesting the government’s closure of four independent news outlets, according to news reports and local journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists said today that the police actions only highlight the government’s continuing effort to suppress information…

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(Pan African Parliament)

Press freedom: Challenge of changing words into deeds

The Pan African Parliament’s (PAP) launch of a media freedom campaign through a “Dialogue on Media Freedom in Africa” in mid-May marks an important and welcome starting point. For too long, media freedom has been divorced from the debate around development and democratization when it has an integral role to play in promoting transparency, underpinning…

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Police stand outside the offices of the Daily Monitor. (Daily Monitor)

Police raid news outlets in media crackdown in Uganda

Nairobi, May 21, 2013–Ugandan police surrounded the Kampala offices of two private newspapers for seven hours on Monday, barring access to the premises, disabling printing presses, and effectively halting publication indefinitely, according to news reports. The police said they had search warrants to find documents related to a letter written by an army official that…

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Gen. David Sejusa (Facebook)

In Uganda, media muzzled over alleged Muhoozi project

While Uganda’s politicians and social media are abuzz over a sensational letter reportedly written by a top security official about a high-level assassination plot, police have dutifully harassed the mainstream press in a bid to suppress the chatter.

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Attacks on the Press: Oil, Money, and the Press

New oil deals drive optimism, but the public knows little about the details. By Tom Rhodes

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Attacks on the Press in 2012: Uganda

Police assaulted and obstructed numerous journalists covering opposition demonstrations, repeating an abusive pattern set during the previous year’s presidential campaign. Police officials repeatedly professed determination to investigate the attacks but ultimately held no officer publicly accountable. Several journalists began to seek redress in the courts, although no cases had been resolved by late year. President…

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2013