By Teddy Namayanja,
Public Relations Officer – Foundation for Human Rights Initiative
After visiting Andrew Lwanga, a journalist
attached to WBS TV on the 14th of Jan 2015 in Nsambya hospital where
he was admitted after being badly beaten by the District Police Commander Old
Kampala Joram Mwesigye, I haven’t stopped wondering and questioning why the
police continuously treat journalists in such inhumane manner when doing their
job.
We all know that the media has
and continues to do tremendous work in fulfilling its overall mandate of
playing a watchdog role over society by informing and educating the public
through providing the population with a forum to express their views on
different issues ranging from good governance, accountability and democracy
among others. If the police continue to suffocate their (journalist’s) working
environment, how best can they then execute their work when they are caged?
Lwanga was only the latest victim joining a
long list of journalists brutalized by law enforcement officers simply for
doing their job as the fourth estate----keep watch over power holders.
Since 2009, media freedom has
been characterized by increased incidents of violence and harassment against
journalists especially by security agencies. Human Rights Network for
Journalists (HRNJ) has documented over 400 cases of attacks on journalists reported to the police. However, the files seem to have gone cold with
no investigations. This high level
of impunity is threatening the media industry as journalists; denied the
opportunity to do their job, flee to safer jobs. This flight and lack of
scrutiny might be celebrated by the power holders as a victory in the short
term but it is only a pyric victory and the long term cost to society is
immeasurable.
