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          Uganda Group to File Court Complaint over Newspaper Closure

   by Peter Clottey

   The national coordinator of Uganda's Human Rights Network for
   Journalists, (HRNJ-U) says his group plans to file a court complaint
   Wednesday to force the government to allow the re-opening of Monitor
   Publications and its related media businesses.
   Geoffrey Ssebaggala says President Yoweri Museveni's government has
   eroded media rights and freedoms in the name of national security.
   Ssebaggala says both Attorney General Peter Nyombi and General Kale
   Kayihura, the inspector general of police, have failed to ensure
   compliance with a court ruling that ordered the police to vacate the
   premises of Monitor Publications.
   "We are witnessing a serious attack on the rule of law in this country
   [and] we are experiencing the increasing levels of impunity. Even when
   a court issues an order for police to vacate the premises of
   newspapers, they refuse and are adamant to do so," said Ssebaggala.
   The police say their investigation will continue despite the court
   order. The government contends that the country's security was
   compromised when the newspaper, Daily Monitor, published a letter
   written by an army general asking for an investigation into Mr.
   Museveni's alleged presidential succession plan. The administration
   denies there is a succession plan.
   "We are saying enough is enough. First of all, Kayihura and his men
   must be summoned by a court to go and give reason why he continues to
   muzzle the press," said Ssebaggala.
   But a government spokesman says the government will continue with
   investigations into a suspected security breach despite criticism that
   it is violating the constitution.
   "That is not true that the government is stifling freedom of the press
   or freedom of the people of Uganda," said government spokesman Fred
   Opolot. "The police and the government [are] ensuring that whatever it
   does [has] to be lawful. And again when an issue compromises national
   security, it has to be investigated."
   Ssebaggala says the police appear to only serve senior officials of the
   government.
   "Whose interests are they serving, [are] they serving an individual or
   they are serving citizens? Asked Ssebaggala, "They are attacking the
   fibers of journalism. You cannot compel journalists to reveal to you
   their sources of information. We cannot divulge our sources because we
   will be endangering them...what we are saying here is media houses
   should be given an opportunity to do their work."
   Ssebaggala says his group also plans to file complaints in
   international courts asking them to intervene in the ongoing standoff
   between the Ugandan government and the media.
   "We will try the regional court, and if the regional court fails we
   will go up to the U.N. We are setting a precedent whether they like it
   or not, and they will be answerable any day they leave power, because
   we will continue to tell them the wrongs they have done until justice
   comes by," said Ssebaggala.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/uganda-group-to-file-complaint-over-n
   ewspaper-closure/1670202.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/uganda-group-to-file-complaint-over-newspaper-closure/1670202.html