Police arrests UJA president Kazibwe Bashir Mbazira alongside other journalists for protests against Police brutality
Police have arrested Uganda Journalists Association President Kazibwe Bashir Mbazira along with other journalists for protesting as they marched to Naguru police Station to petition IGP Ochola over Police brutality.
The journalists insist that the Inspector General of Police, Martin Okoth Ochola should come out and respond to their queries over the torture meted out to them by police officers while covering protests by Makerere University students last week.
Last week, while covering Makerere University students’ protest against the 15 per cent tuition increment, a number of journalists were reported to have been beaten by police officers and the army.
Reports indicated that a number of them were beaten and caned including Daily Monitor’s Alex Esagala, Godfrey Tumwesigye (NTV), Chris Ssemakula (BBS TV) and Lawrence Kitatta from Bukedde among others.
Following the brutality, the journalists agreed to boycott reporting any issue involving Police and also not to attend their functions until their matters are heard.
Journalists organizations including Uganda Journalists Association, Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ) and Uganda Parliamentary Press Association marched to Naguru calling out to Ochola the IGP’s name in order to hand to him their petition.
According to the HRNJ national coordinator Robert Ssempala, they want the police head to come out and stop officers from beaten journalists while they are doing their work.
Last week, the UJA president, Kazibwe Bashir Mbazira said that it is appalling that after brutalizing journalists, Police comes out calling the same journalists to help them to cover their activities.
However, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango claimed that journalists were beaten by plain-clothed people and not the police.
During the Makerere student’s strike it was reported that the army was also deployed to calm down the situation and as a result, videos circulated on social media showing how they beat up the students at night and as well the same happened for any journalists who tried to cover protest scenes.
This is not the first time police has been reported for brutality towards journalists in the country. Last year, journalists were also badly beaten as they forced their way through to cover the case of former Buyende DPC, ASP Muhammad Kirumira.
Before that another incident in 2017 when journalists who were celebrating the World Press Freedom Day arrested by police officers and others beaten badly to the extent of wounding their bodies as well as hitting them with teargas canisters at them.
By John Dalton Kigozi
