Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Republic of Uganda expressed concern at the assault by police of two journalists, Siraji Kiberu of Kingdom Television and Dodoviko Mukasa of Central Broadcasting Services (CBS) radio as they were covering the arrest of opposition member of parliament on Friday 31st March 2017.
PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali urged government of Uganda to investigate this mater and actions by the Uganda Police Force of assaulting journalists in the course of their duties.
According to Human Rights Network for Journalists the incident took place at Kiira Road police station where police arrested Betty Nambooze Bakireke, an opposition member of parliament and her supporters who were trying to make their way to Nsambya Sharing Hall, where they had scheduled party’s consultative meeting. This led to a fight between the police and Nambooze’s supporters who were resisting her detention.
During the coverage of the scuffle, Kiberu was badly beaten and the camera of Henry Kasomoko of Bukedde paper was smashed by police. “The police were uneasy with the journalists covering the fracas, so they tried to stop them,” Kasomoko said.
Kiberu told Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda that, “I was standing at the reception only to be beaten by a police officer, he boxed me in the stomach and I fell down, I stood up immediately and got out but he followed me up and continued beating me up.”
