By Steven Kintu
African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) has condemned Sunday’s attack on journalists in Masaka, during the 2021 general election campaigns.
In the fracas Ghetto Media’s Ashraf Kasirye, NTV’s Ali Mivule and NBS’s Daniel Lutaaya were injured and currently admitted as police attempted to disperse supporters of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi.
In a statement, the executive director of ACME Dr Peter Mwesige, said that the increasingly shameless and arbitrary clampdown on journalism and civic space ahead of elections raises serious concern.
This he says is an infringement on media and civic space demanding that it stops for Uganda to have peaceful elections.
“The increasingly brazen and arbitrary clampdown on independent journalism and civic space in the run-up to the general elections is a cause of serious concern,” said Dr Mwesige.
According to ACME, at least 15 journalists have been attacked, injured and arrested as they covered 2021 election-related events, in the last seven weeks.
“We demand that the government upholds and respects the roles and rights of all citizens and stakeholders in this election.”
Ghetto Media is a popular online outlet that streams live Mr Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaigns and is one of several platforms that the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) asked Google to take down recently.
This comes a week ago, after the arrested of prominent human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo, together with other lawyers Herbert Dakasi, Anthony Odur, Esomu Obure and Hamid Tenywa over money laundering.
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