Uganda: CFWIJ Calls For Immediate Release of Journalists Charged With Cyberstalking The President
Location: Uganda,Kampala
Date: March 18, 2022
Photo Credit: The Alternative Digitalk
Journalist Faridah Bikobere and Norman Tumuhimbise were beaten and charged with cyberstalking and “offensive communication” after they, Lillian Luwedde, and six of their colleagues at Alternative Digitalk TV, were arrested earlier this week. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns this attack on the press and calls on the authorities to immediately release the arrested journalists and drop legal proceedings against them. Uganda must launch an urgent inquiry into the officials responsible for physically assaulting the journalists in custody and take necessary action.
TV host Faridah, executive director, activist and author Tumuhimbise, and seven other journalists working for Alternative Digitalk TV were arrested on March 10 in an unannounced raid at the premises of the online media outlet. Security officers also confiscated equipment, including cameras, laptops, and books, according to media reports and local press rights group Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U).
Faridah and Tumuhimbise were produced before a court in the capital Kampala on March 16 and charged with cyberstalking and “offensive communication”. The journalists were remanded to police custody till March 21 and remain behind bars.
During the hearing, both the journalists told the court that they were brutally beaten and physically abused while in custody. In a video clip of Faridah’s partial testimony, posted on YouTube, the journalist says she feels pain in her stomach, back and chest. She said she has bruises all over her body and could “undress” before the court so that her injuries are on record. The journalist is reportedly passing blood in her urine and is in need of urgent medical attention after the beating she endured at the hands of officers.
After the hearing, HRNJ-U appointed lawyer Geoffrey, Turyamusima, who is representing the journalists, told the media that it was apparent, even in the court, that Faridah and Tumuhimbise had been tortured and were in need of medical treatment.
Faridah and Tumuhimbise have been charged with cyberstalking and “offensive communication” directed against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, according to court documents shared by human rights lawyer Kiiza Eron, also on the case.
It is the charges against Tumuhimbise Norman and Faridah Bikobere that are seditious.
— KIIZA ERON (@kiizaeron) March 16, 2022
Both were tortured like the other journalists with whom they were arrested on Thursday 10th March, 2022 and released on police bond yesterday.
Remanded to LUZIRA prison until Monday 21/3/2022. pic.twitter.com/1H65IfHQm6
Meanwhile, Alternative Digitalk TV presenters Lilian Luwedde, Nabukeera Teddy Teangle, Programmes director Arnold Mukose, producer Jeremiah Mukiibi, Tumusiime Kato from production and media intern and student Wabyona Jeje Jacob were released on police bond [on condition of appearing before the police when summoned] on March 15 and 16. But remain under investigation on charges of cyberstalking and sedition.
The journalists face prison terms of up to five years for cyberstalking and two years for “offensive communication” under Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act and a sentence of up to seven years on sedition charges under the penal code.
The country has witnessed an increase in violations against members of the independent press, imprisonment of lawyers, crackdown on opposition leaders and muzzling of dissenting voices in recent years. Many activists have been prosecuted under the Computer Misuse Act of 2011.
On the same day as Alternative Digitalk TV’s premises were raided, 12 men in civvies raided the offices of another media group in Kampala. The purported plain-clothed security operatives remained at the premises of Vision Group Offices for roughly three hours. They were allegedly on the hunt for Lawrence Kitatta, a journalist with Bukedde newspaper, for undisclosed reasons.
Kitatta told HRNJ-Uganda that he is being threatened by unidentified persons since he covered a demonstration staged by torture victims at the residence of Uganda’s deputy speaker in parliament Anita Among on February 21, 2022. The journalist said he was assaulted by security officers and his equipment was destroyed during the protest.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the unexplained raids at news media outlets and subsequent arrests of journalists. We extend complete support to Faridah Bikobere and Lillian Luwedde, and their colleagues at Alternative Digitalk TV. We demand the immediate release of Faridah and Tumuhimbise, who have been shifted to a high-security prison in Kampala. The authorities must immediately investigate the violations committed by security officials against members of the press and conduct a fair and transparent probe into the inhumane treatment of Kitatta and the journalists in custody. Unfounded charges against Alternative Digitalk TV journalists must immediately be dropped. We reiterate that journalism is not a crime. Members of the press must be free to report without fear of interference or retaliation by the government.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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