By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
The Uganda Journalists Association President, Mathias Rukundo has challenged journalists to speak with one against individuals and the government violating the rights of journalists in Uganda.
According to Rukundo, there are wrong elements within the government agencies and general public who have made it a point to abuse journalists by prompting arbitrary arrests, torture which has put the life of journalists at risk despite executing a lawful duty.
He was speaking to journalists shortly after a meeting with a delegation of officials from the European Union at EU offices in Kampala when he said it was high time that journalists strongly put together their voice against such bad practices with implications on access to information to the society.
The meeting comes at a time when Uganda is preparing to join the rest of the world to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) due on 3rd May, 2024.
UJA team was led by the association’s president Mathias Rukundo while the EU team by H.E Jan Sadek.
UJA president further disclosed that they have organized a series of activities to mark the WPFD including the outreach meetings with advocates of press freedom.
“Our meeting focused on the debilitating press freedom in Uganda that has resulted into either detention, intimidation and arrest of some journalists,” he said.
The EU is one of the Uganda’s development partners in among other areas, press freedom, environment, trade, health and therefore, and Rukundo noted that it was paramount to engage them in a walk to liberate press freedom.
He commended the EU team for passionately advocating for the promotion and protection of the press freedom in Uganda.
About WPFD
WPFD acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.
