Reported by,
Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. Ugandan journalists who where brutalized by military police last month, have petitioned the High Court to be compensated for their violated rights and freedoms.
They asked court to bring to book the officers who attacked and brutalized them, and they sued in particular Lt col Franklin Namanya also known as Napoleon who allegedly commanded the attack on them.
The incident happened on the 17 February 2021, out side the Human Rights office as journalists were covering news of former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi wine while delivering his petition to United Nations office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in in Kampala.
About 10 innocent journalists who were doing their job were seriously beaten and wounded by Military police, as they tried to stop them from covering Bobi Wine, who had visited the UN offices to present a petition on recent political abductions and human rights abuses in Uganda since the 14 January elections.
Four of the journalists who sustained injuries, Josephine Namakumbi NBS, John Cliff Wamala of NTV, Geofrey Twesigye NTV and Shamim Nabakooza Record TV decided to petition the High Court demanding for justice.
Speaking to our AFP reporter their lawyer Eron Kiiza Mugisha said that it is unfortunate for the people who think that by beating journalist they will stop them from covering some events.
The government’s reaction on the brutality
Through the Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi, the government condemned the violence and apologized to journalists and vowed to take the identifiable culprits before courts of law.
“We would be the last people to target journalists or any one for that matter.” said Muhoozi.
Indeed on 18 February 2021 seven military officers who engaged in brutalizing the journalist were taken to court martial in the military police Unit Disciplinary Committee and were charged and sentenced to 3 months in military facility.
Why journalists want Lt Col Namanya yet the culprits were already sentenced?
Journalists are saying that the military officers who were sentenced were small fish, and that the big fish was Lt Col Namanya who commanded the operation.
They also said that they want each officer who engaged in beating the journalists at their work to be tried, punished and be accountable as an individual.
“UPDF should be certain that there other people on ground that have to work with you and those are journalists” said Nabakooza applicant.
On many occasions journalists have been brutalized by the security officers who later apologizes but again do it.
That is why this time round they decided to use the court of law to file grievances against the culprits.
