The Director-General of the UNESCO, Irina Bokova has called upon the government of Uganda to arrest and punish the people responsible for the death of Ugandan journalist Paul Kiggundu.

Paul Kiggundu, a freelance correspondent for Top Radio and several television stations, was beaten unconscious and died on his way to hospital on 10^th September in Rakai after motorcyclists protesting over the murder y of a fellow biker the previous day turned on him when they saw him filming their attack on the home of a suspect.

They reportedly accused him of filming them for the police. Bokova in a statement today deplored the death of Kiggundu and called on the Ugandan authorities to do everything possible to bring to justice the killers.

“He died in the exercise of his mission as a journalist, covering the news so that the public could be informed. His murder is a tragic illustration of the risks media professionals take every day in the name of freedom of expression. I call on the Ugandan authorities to make every effort to investigate this crime and bring the culprits to justice,” the statement reads in part.

Kiggundu who was laid to rest on September 12^th is survived by two children, a three year old and 18month old as well as their mother.

The Uganda Journalists Union and the Uganda Journalists Association have condemned the killing of Kigundu. Josshua Kyalimpa, the President of UJA appealed to Journalists to unite and work together to stop such killings and mistreatment that many journalists suffer while doing their work.
Kyalimpa says journalists in Uganda should on Friday dress in black to mourn Kiggundu and other journalists who suffer in the line of duty.

RIP Dickson Sentongo (NV photo)

The Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura has strongly condemned the boda bodas said to have beaten Kiggundu. He promised the police will do everything possible to ensure the culprits are arrested and punished.

Meanwhile, there are reports that another journalist Disckson Sentongo was killed early Wednesday in mysterious circumstances after iron wielding thugs clobbered him into coma and he died shortly after he was admitted in hospital.

UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom. Article 1 of its Constitution requires the Organization to “further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations.” To realize this the Organization is requested to “collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding of peoples, through all means of mass communication and to that end recommend such international agreements as may be necessary to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image…”

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