Police beat up journalists
SOURCE: THE DAILY MONITOR, 5 OCTOBER 2012
Kampala Metropoitan Police Commander Andrew Kaweesi rescuing a WBS TV reporter, William Ntege, after Police beat him and confiscated his camera.
IN SUMMARY
Daily Monitor’s photojournalist Isaac Kasamani, WBS television’s William Ntege, and Red Pepper’s Nicholas Mwesigye suffered various injuries after they were assaulted.
Three journalists were yesterday targeted by men in police uniform and their equipment destroyed as they were covering the arrest of Forum for Democratic Change leader, Dr Kizza Besigye.
Daily Monitor’s photojournalist Isaac Kasamani, WBS television’s William Ntege, and Red Pepper’s Nicholas Mwesigye were assaulted and suffered various injuries.
Mr Ntege’s video camera, which was destroyed, had just been replaced at Shs6.5 million by police which broke the first one during another incident.
The assault
“I was taking photographs of Dr Besigye as they brought him to (Central Police Station) CPS when a police officer in a blue uniform stood in front of me to obstruct me and ordered me to stop taking photographs,” Mr Kasamani said.
“As I pleaded, he slapped me hard on the left cheek with his right hand. Another officer standing behind me grabbed my neck from behind and pulled me down. I fell and hurt my right elbow. My camera was shattered beyond repair,” Mr Kasamani said.
“I was taking photographs of Dr Besigye as they brought him to (Central Police Station) CPS when a police officer in a blue uniform stood in front of me to obstruct me and ordered me to stop taking photographs,” Mr Kasamani said.
“As I pleaded, he slapped me hard on the left cheek with his right hand. Another officer standing behind me grabbed my neck from behind and pulled me down. I fell and hurt my right elbow. My camera was shattered beyond repair,” Mr Kasamani said.
Mr Kasamani’s attempts to file a complaint at CPS was frustrated by other police personnel who refused to allow him in.
Uganda Journalists Union and the Human Rights Network for Journalists yesterday issued statements condemning the attack on journalists.
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“This is a total violation of media rights and freedom. These habitual acts of violence on media practitioners by the police are a clear indication that impunity is on the rise in this country,” said HRNJ-Uganda Programmes Coordinator Geoffrey Wokulira Ssebaggala.
Uganda Journalists Union President Lucy Anyango Ekadu said: “Journalists have a duty to inform the public of what is going on in the country without fear or favour, and police ought to protect journalists in this noble cause rather than intimidate and [carry out] direct repression on them.”
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