Journalists and human rights activists have today condemned the action by the government to close down two newspapers and two radio stations for their reporting on the controversial letter by Gen. David Sejusa.

Police officers today sealed off offices of Daily Monitor, armed with a search warrant. But the search turned into closure as the police led by Criminal Investigations Department Deputy Director Godfrey Musana said the Daily Monitor premises are a crime scene. The police also sealed off offices of Red Pepper, a daily tabloid and declared it a crime scene too.

The security operatives switched off the printeries of the newspapers, as well kfm and Dembe fm to the astonishment of the staff of two media establishments.

“Instead of carrying out the search, the armed men disabled the printing press, computer servers and radio transmission equipment.”“The intention was to prevent the monitor from operating, broadcasting and printing its newspapers. We are horrified by this act, which is a gross disregard of the Ugandan law and a violation of the Monitor’s constitutional right,” said Alex Asiimwe, Daily Monitor’s Managing Director .

In a press statement, Police Spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said the police received intelligence information that there are people who have started scanning signatures of senior government officials “with the intention of using the said signatures on documents claiming they are officials documents from government whereas not.”

The Uganda Journalists Association President Joshua Kyalimpa and the Coordinator of the Uganda Journalists Human Rights Network Wokulira Sebagala issues statements today condemning the government for what they termed as attack on press freedom and freedom of expression.

These events are a result of coverage of Gen. Sejusa’s controversial letter first published by Daily Monitor on May 7. The letter by Gen. Sejusa aka Tinyefuza was written to the Director of the Internal Security Organisation to investment claims that there is a plot to assassinate or link to rebellion senior army and government officials allegedly against “Muhoozi project”   an alleged plan to have the president’s son succeed him in State House.

Gen. Sejusa, the coordinator of intelligence agencies is said to have mentioned himself Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, Chief of Defence Forces Aronda Nyakairima among the people being framed.

In an email showed to journalists by a Kampala his lawyer Joseph Luzige, Gen. Sejusa accepted to have written the letter but said he handed it over to the Director of ISO himself and is not sure how it got to journalists.

Here are more articles and documents on the matter

Court orders Daily Monitor journalists to name source– African Center for Media Excellence

Monitor offices under police siege -Daily Monitor

Military officer’s assassination allegations ensnare journalists

‘Warning to media against undermining national security’

Police question Monitor journalists as government moves to gag media

President’s aide storms newspaper office, threatens journalists

Govt is tampering with right to know

ISO agent arrested at Monitor, Gen Tinye’s case goes to court

Oguttu accuses UCC, minister of intimidating journalists

UCC (Uganda Communiction Commision) warning.pdf

Police statement on Daily Monitor Red Pepper premises search 20-05-13.docx

Police statement on Daily Monitor Red Pepper premises search 20-05-13.docx

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Bukedde television is part of the vision group a company with which government owns majority shares.

Ssebalamu was arrested on 20^th/June/2011 at 5:30pm at a village meeting to which he had been invited by residents of Kitara, Katabi Sub County Wakiso district to offer coverage.

The meeting was intended to resolve matters concerning witch craft where one resident corpol Male Namukangula was being accused of being at the center of the problem.

Eye witness Kato Suleiman said  that Ssebalamu was roughed up and clobbered by a group of police men using batons and gun handles after refusing to stop filming the event.

Kato said, the Officer in Charge of Kisubi police post Ahmed Madiri grabbed Ssebalamu by the collar and slapped him as other police men kicked him.

Ultimate Media

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Margaret Sekaggya

Sekaggya made the call during celebrations at the centenary park in Kampala to mark world press freedom day scheduled for Tuesday May 3^rd 2010.

Sekaggya has appealed to journalists to put pressure on the government to make sure the observers are invited to assess the press freedom degree in Uganda.

She says the media and journalists in Uganda are facing several challenges especially when covering human rights abuses by government security agencies.

Uganda journalists will on Tuesday join the rest of the world to mark the World Press Freedom Day,  which is globally being marked under the theme “21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers”

By Mugisa Isaac Mathias

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