Kampala, 06th/April/2012;
A photo-journalist for The Observer newspaper and Reuters Edward Echwalu
has petitioned the police’s Professional Standards Unit (PSU) seeking for
punishment of police officers who assaulted him while he was covering
activities and the arrest of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change leader
Dr. Kizza Besigye.
Echwalu along with Luswa Anatoli of Eddoboozi newspaper were
separately beaten by police men in police uniforms as they covered the arrest
of Besigye and other opposition leaders in Kampala on the 21st/March/2012.
Echwalu accuses four police men of beating him with batons and rifle butt at
Kira Road police station in Kampala as he unpacked his camera to take
photographs. On the same day, police also roughed up a human rights lawyer
Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi and blocked him from accessing his clients at the Central
Police Station (CPS).
The police were arresting opposition politicians including
the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, Kampala woman member of parliament Nabbilah Naggayi
and Lord mayor Erias Lukwago and FDC women league leader Ingrid Turinawe among
others. During the chaos as police engaged the Besigye supporters by firing
tear gas and some demonstrators retaliated with stone throwing, an Assistant
Inspector of Police John Bosco Ariong was critically injured, bled profusely and
later died of the head injury.
Echwalu was accompanied by a group of foreign journalists to
PSU in Bukoto –a suburb of Kampala. He met the PSU commandant, Commissioner
Kyomukama Samwel and Sserwanga Francis who promised to investigate the matter and
report back within three weeks.
“I provided the PSU with photographic evidence of the men
who attacked me and some other violent acts these police men were involved in
that day. Kyomukama assured us that the three police men in question would be
arrested and investigated and possibly disciplined within a maximum period of
three weeks.” Echwalu told HRNJ-Uganda.
The police have assaulted a total of six journalists in
Kampala in a space of seven days. They were all involved in covering activities
related to the opposition politicians.
“HRNJ-Uganda would like to commend the fellow journalists,
civil society and other human rights activists both local and international who
have come to the defence of victim journalists at the hands police’s brutality.
These targeted attacks on the media should stop. So the PSU is charged with a
huge challenge of taking action against its very own officers. Some cases have
taken too long pending conclusively investigation by the PSU. We hope that this
time, it is going to be a different situation.” said the HRNJ-Uganda Programme
Coordinator Wokulira Ssebaggala.
He added that, “The police force leadership should realize
the urgent need of restraining its officers from violently attacking the
journalists and the media who cover opposition related activities. This is a
direct attack on the media which should not go unabated.”
For More Information Contact;
Human Rights
Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
Kivebulaya
Road – Mengo Kampala Opp. St. Marcelino Pre. School
P.O.BOX.
71314 Clock Tower Kampala
Tel:
+256-414-272934 / +256-414-667627
E-mail:
news@hrnjuganda.org
humanrajournalists@yahoo.co.uk
Website:
www.hrnjuganda.org
BLOG:
http://hrnjuganda.blogpost.com
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