Uganda has slipped 43 places to 139th position in the just-released press freedom rankings by Reporters without Borders, an international organisation that campaigns for a free press.
According to a report accompanying the rankings, many countries, including Uganda, fell in 2011 due to increased government crackdown on public protests. The media were thus also targeted as the security services sought to stop especially broadcast reporters from filming the demonstrations.
The rankings come barely a day after a Daily Monitor photojournalist, Mr Isaac Kasamani, was nearly shot by a stray bullet while covering an opposition demonstration against the high cost of living in Kampala.
On Sunday, an NTV Uganda reporter survived being shot at as he filmed Kampala City officials during a violent eviction that left one person dead. A YouTube video shows the gunman aiming at the journalist as he filmed. The journalist cannot be named out of concern for his security.
“Led by President Yoweri Museveni, Uganda … launched an unprecedented crackdown on opposition movements and independent media after the elections in February [2011],” a statement from the watchdog body said, adding: “They (journalists) were the targets of violence and surveillance during the presi¬dential election in February and were targeted again during the brutal crackdown on the “Walk to Work” protests later in the year, when dozens of journalists were arrested.”
During the Walk to Work demonstrations, several journalists were beaten, some shot at, arrested, intimidated and threatened by security personnel, government officials and the president who labelled them enemies of the state for covering the protests.
The resumption of the Walk to Work demonstrations this year has led to more harassment of journalists by security personnel.
Last week, the Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda reported that three journalists had been seriously injured as police attempted to arrest opposition demonstrators. The injured journalists are Mr Michael Kigozi, Ms Hadijah Mwanje, and Mr Nasser Kayanja.
“Kigozi was beaten up by a policeman at Kiira road police,” a statement from HRNJ-Uganda said. “He hit him with a baton about ten times on his hands and other body parts as he demanded why he had taken photos without permission.”
Mr. Geoffrey Wokulira Ssebaggala, the programme coordinator for HRNJ-Uganda, said: “We are witnessing a pattern of police attacks against journalists during demonstrations. There is a deliberate move to silence the media from documenting their brutal acts committed against demonstrators who are expressing their grievances thereby denying the people their right to be heard.”
In December 2011, HRNJ-Uganda reported that police beat up Mr Frank Ezaruk., a journalist with Uganda Radio Network in Pader, Northern Uganda, as he covered an eviction. Mr Ezaruku was charged with criminal trespass after the authorities deleted photos from his camera.
Reporters without Borders notes generally in the report that: “Many media paid dearly for their coverage of democratic aspirations or opposition movements… Crackdown was the word of the year in 2011. Never has freedom of information been so clo¬sely associated with democracy. Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of freedom so much. Never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on jour¬nalists seemed so numerous. The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom. Dictatorships fear and ban information, especially when it may undermine them.”
Africa making progress
The report, however, notes that more African countries have joined the top 100 countries in the world where freedom of expression is highly regarded.
“The number of African countries that are in the top 50 of the index has risen from seven last year to nine this year, while the number that are in top 100 has risen from 24 to 27.” the report notes.
These countries range from Cape Verde (9th) to Niger, to Madagascar (84th).
