From the News Desk; According to the Freedom of the Press 2010 report, press freedom in Uganda steadily declined by 10-points over the past five years.
Out of 196 countries surveyed in the world, Uganda stands at 110.
According to the report, Uganda’s ranking deteriorated due to laws like criminal libel, defamation, promotion of sectarianism, inciting of violence, anti-terrorism Act 2002 and national security provisions which impinge on the work of journalists.
In East African, Uganda is second to Tanzania (102) among the nations that provide a better working environment. Kenya at 121 is partly free, while Burundi (159) and Rwanda (178) are not free for media practice.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only Mali, Ghana, Mauritius, Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe are rated free. Uganda at 15 is among the 19 countries with partly free media.
Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are among the 24 countries that are ranked among those whose press is not free.
There are three broad rankings for press freedom; Free, Partly Free and Not Free. Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden lead the world. Libya, Burma, Turkmenistan and North Korea are the worst places for journalists to work in.
“Although the Constitution provides for the right to freedoms of expression and the press, several other laws negate these constitutional guarantees and the Government has increasingly cracked down on critical journalists and media houses,” a statement from the US-based Freedom House pointed out.
“Government support for media freedom and tolerance for critical or opposing viewpoints declined considerably, and official rhetoric against members of the press has increased,” the report explains.
So far this year, Uganda’s media has experienced mixed results. First, history was made when Timothy Kalyegira, became the first Ugandan editor and online publisher to be detained by police. He was arrested for his comments following the July 11th terrorist bombings in Kampala that killed nearly 80 people.
Another arrest was of Harrison Thembo, a WBS TV journalist, who was arrested by police at Bwera (Uganda-DR Congo boarder) for filming activities at the immigration offices. Thembo was arrested on 16th/08/2010 while filming the unusual and exasperating process Ugandans and non Ugandans go through while moving within or entering the country.
Kingdom FM reporter Rogers Matovu, was arrested and detained on the 19th/July/2010 and released without a charge. He was arrested by the Presidential Guard Brigade, while covering the African Union Summit which was taking place in Munyonyo Kampala. Circumstances that lead to his arrest are unclear.
The Special Forces, the elite brigade that guards President Museveni, maintains that journalists intending to cover the President’s 2011 election campaigns must fill out an accreditation form, which, in all honesty, is overly intrusive.
On the happy side though, the sedition law was scraped off the pages of the law, after a court challenge.
It’s a mixture of these events that contribute to the current position occupied by Uganda in the press freedom ranking.
Out of 196 countries surveyed in the world, Uganda stands at 110.
According to the report, Uganda’s ranking deteriorated due to laws like criminal libel, defamation, promotion of sectarianism, inciting of violence, anti-terrorism Act 2002 and national security provisions which impinge on the work of journalists.
In East African, Uganda is second to Tanzania (102) among the nations that provide a better working environment. Kenya at 121 is partly free, while Burundi (159) and Rwanda (178) are not free for media practice.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only Mali, Ghana, Mauritius, Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe are rated free. Uganda at 15 is among the 19 countries with partly free media.
Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are among the 24 countries that are ranked among those whose press is not free.
There are three broad rankings for press freedom; Free, Partly Free and Not Free. Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden lead the world. Libya, Burma, Turkmenistan and North Korea are the worst places for journalists to work in.
“Although the Constitution provides for the right to freedoms of expression and the press, several other laws negate these constitutional guarantees and the Government has increasingly cracked down on critical journalists and media houses,” a statement from the US-based Freedom House pointed out.
“Government support for media freedom and tolerance for critical or opposing viewpoints declined considerably, and official rhetoric against members of the press has increased,” the report explains.
So far this year, Uganda’s media has experienced mixed results. First, history was made when Timothy Kalyegira, became the first Ugandan editor and online publisher to be detained by police. He was arrested for his comments following the July 11th terrorist bombings in Kampala that killed nearly 80 people.
Another arrest was of Harrison Thembo, a WBS TV journalist, who was arrested by police at Bwera (Uganda-DR Congo boarder) for filming activities at the immigration offices. Thembo was arrested on 16th/08/2010 while filming the unusual and exasperating process Ugandans and non Ugandans go through while moving within or entering the country.
Kingdom FM reporter Rogers Matovu, was arrested and detained on the 19th/July/2010 and released without a charge. He was arrested by the Presidential Guard Brigade, while covering the African Union Summit which was taking place in Munyonyo Kampala. Circumstances that lead to his arrest are unclear.
The Special Forces, the elite brigade that guards President Museveni, maintains that journalists intending to cover the President’s 2011 election campaigns must fill out an accreditation form, which, in all honesty, is overly intrusive.
On the happy side though, the sedition law was scraped off the pages of the law, after a court challenge.
It’s a mixture of these events that contribute to the current position occupied by Uganda in the press freedom ranking.
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