The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today strongly condemns the harassment inflicted
upon a photojournalist and a television reporter in Uganda on 4 October 2012.
“We are deeply concerned about the systematic
crackdown on journalists in Uganda. We condemn this violence and call on
authorities to investigate the case. We will never stop advocating and
defending the rights of journalists to conduct their work safely and freely”,
said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Africa Director.
According to news reports and independent
sources like the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda)
freelance photojournalist Isaac Kasimani from the Agence France Press and the
private Daily Monitor newspaper and his colleague William Ntege, better known
as Kyuma Kya Yesu from the Wavah Broadcasting Service (WBS) were subjected to
police force on October 4.
Kasimani told IFJ
sources that the was slapped by a policeman while another pushed him downstairs
when he refused to end his conversation with the leader of the opposition Forum
for Democratic Change (FDC), Dr Kiiza Besigye. Kasimani’s camera was destroyed
in the process and he cannot lay a complaint against the police as the faces of
the policemen were covered.
“The growing threat to the safety of journalists
and media workers has become a major concern for IFJ. We pledge to the
government of Uganda to put an end to the situation,” Baglo added.
For more information, please contact IFJ on +221- 33
867 95 87
The IFJ
represents more than 600.000 journalists in 134 countries