RUKIGA FORUM FOR DEVELOPMENT (RUFODE) condemns the arbitrary arrests, torture and detention incommunicado of journalists in Uganda, and has called on the authorities to ensure the safety of journalists in the course of their duty.

Uganda Government should create a conducive environment for free and safe exercise of journalism in the country, the police and military attacks on journalists at demonstrations are uncalled for and unacceptable.

Torture is one of the most horrific crimes that can be perpetrated against human rights defenders. It aims to degrade through calculated acts of cruelty to remove the victims’ dignity and make them powerless. 

As RUKIGA FORUM FOR DEVELOPMENT (RUFODE) we condemn all acts of torture meted against human rights defenders including journalists and activists.

The prohibition against torture and ill-treatment is set out in the 1995 Uganda Constitution and in major international and regional instruments ratified by Uganda. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 5 states that; “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 7 states that; “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”

The above has been domesticated under Article 24 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. It states: “No person shall be subjected to any form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.  Article 44(a) is to the effect that the right to protection against torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment is non-derogable.

"The Quest for Safety and Security in Uganda" shows that the well-being of journalists is threatened by issues including a restrictive legal regime, impunity, and a lack of professionalism among security agencies.

The government’s failure to protect journalists is rendering the journalism profession the most dangerous in Uganda, a report by Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) notes.

HRNJ-Uganda is greatly concerned by the worsening trend of the safety and security of media practitioners in Uganda and the government’s reluctance to bring this situation to a halt.

A report on the safety and security of journalists in Uganda – which assesses the trend for the last two years – shows that the well-being of journalists is threatened by a wide range of issues, namely: the restrictive legal regime, impunity, a lack of professionalism among security agencies, infiltration, impersonation, the use of hate speech by politicians including the president, the lack of a minimum wage and a failure to understand the role of media and targeted beatings that have intensified and taken a new dimension. These issues are a major cause for alarm.

The report points out that the volatile nature of insecurity against journalists therefore requires security to be conceptualized in a wider scope than just mere physical protection from harm.