Journalists have given police an ultimatum of five days to apologize , failure they will match to Nguru Police Headquarters on Monday.
Journalists were yesterday robbed and sprayed with tear gas while they were reporting from intern doctors in Mulago where they were about to take a complaint about the delay in starting internships to the speaker of parliament and fired tear gas.
The Human Rights Network for Journalists, Uganda Parliamentary Press Association and Uganda Media Women’s Association have condemned the police’s actions against journalists by beating them and spraying them with camomile compensation for human rights as a journalist doing his job.
Robert Sempala, a press freedom activist from the Uganda Network for the Journalist Association, said the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martin Okoth Ochola should come out and punish his policemen who have learned to violate the rights of journalists.
He said Inspector General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola since he was appointed as the Inspector General of Police has not been able to meet the media on issues that teach them about the crimes committed by his men against the media the ‘police.
Sempala added that if police do not apologize to the journalists, and arrest an officer known as OGWAL in the coming days they will rob you and journalists peacefully and leave them at Nguru police headquarters to protest against the rights of journalists.
Margaret Ssentamu, a women’s rights activist and head of the Uganda Media Women’s Association, said police should give journalists a chance to do their job properly by avoiding mistakes such as beating journalists and spraying tire gas reading them for police beating journalists as enter.
Meanwhile, from the National organization of trade unions Mr. Wilson Owere said the IGP should arrest the officer and punish him for such a theft behavior by forcing the journalists to shoot at them while they were on duty.
One of the journalists who was sprayed by the tear gas NBS Television video reporter Kitimbo Thomas describing the incident when police sprayed him with tear gas said it was not good at all because the officer grabbed a can of pepper spray and sprayed it in his face . . . .
Kitimbo said he cannot forgive the police officer Ogwal who injured him in the face and is taking him to court.
However, all the journalists tried to speak with one voice and gave the police 5 days to appear before the journalists if they do not do so they will protest freely.
By mugula Dan