World Media Leaders Demand Uganda Respect Press Rights

(KAMPALA, UGANDA) – The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has condemned the military enforced shutdown of independent media houses in Uganda and called on President Yoweri Museveni to honour constitutional guarantees protecting press freedom.

In the early hours of Sunday 28 June, Ugandan military personnel raided the premises of Nation Media Group owned media houses in Kampala. Television and radio broadcasts were forced off the air and print titles were shuttered.

Journalists and media leaders are being targeted online as the military increases its pressure on independent media across the country.

WAN-IFRA and the World Editors Forum wrote to President Museveni to call for an immediate reopening of the closed media houses. The letter reminded the long serving head of state of his government’s obligations under domestic and international law to protect press freedom and ensure the safety of journalists and media workers.

The letter, signed by WAN-IFRA CEO Stig Ørskov and World Editors Forum President David Walmsley, said the organisations were writing to condemn the military enforced shutdown of Nation Media Group titles and the targeting of independent media in Uganda. It described these actions as grave violations of both domestic and international standards established to protect freedom of expression and press freedom.

WAN-IFRA said it was appalled to learn that Nation Media Group radio, television and print titles, including the Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, were raided by military personnel. Reports indicate that journalists and staff at the company’s headquarters in Kampala were temporarily detained and prevented from leaving while television and radio transmissions were taken off air.

The letter noted that the actions were taken following directives issued by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. It said public statements threatening individual journalists and media leaders, declaring media should operate only with military approval, and dismissing press freedom as something not to believe in, were particularly disturbing.

The letter described the actions as a direct assault on constitutionally protected freedoms that have no place in a democratic society. It said they represent an affront to the Ugandan people’s fundamental human right to access and receive information, and serve only to undermine the position of the Ugandan government regarding its duties and obligations.

WAN-IFRA appealed for the urgent reversal of what it called a fateful trajectory. It called on President Museveni to demand the reopening of all shuttered media titles and to oversee the immediate withdrawal of all military personnel.

The organisation strongly encouraged President Museveni to denounce General Kainerugaba’s statements as a means to clearly indicate his views are not representative of the official Ugandan government position regarding the independent press.

It also called on the President to provide guarantees for the safety and protection of all journalists and media workers as Uganda moves forward from what it termed a deeply regrettable incident.

Furthermore, WAN-IFRA urged President Museveni to renew his government’s respect for the Ugandan Constitution and to reaffirm its obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, particularly the rights to freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information.

The letter concluded by stating that WAN-IFRA would be closely monitoring the developing situation for colleagues and partners in Uganda on behalf of the global media industry. It said it would equally be encouraging peers, European Union partners, and global stakeholders to do likewise.