Law society condemns ban on media houses

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has joined the swelling chorus of voices in condemning the ongoing ban of journalists of the Nation Media Group (NMG) to cover Parliament and the Presidency, reports the Daily Monitor. Anthony Asiimwe, the vice-president of ULS said the act of censorship was a grave assault on the freedom of the press and a direct attack on the Constitution. ‘Freedom of the press is not a privilege; it is a constitutional right. Article 29(1)(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda guarantees every person the right to freedom of speech and expression, which explicitly includes freedom of the press and other media,’ he said in a statement. He added: ‘Further, Article 41 upholds the right of access to information in the possession of the state or its organs, except where its release would prejudice national security or the privacy of another person.’ Asiimwe’s statement came days after journalists from NTV-Uganda and Daily Monitor, trading under the flagship of Nation Media Group-Uganda, were blocked from accessing Parliament. Blocking journalists from covering public institutions such as Parliament and the Presidency, he said, erodes public trust in democratic governance. Asiimwe added: ‘The ULS stands in solidarity with the Nation Media Group and the wider media fraternity. We are ready to provide legal assistance to the affected journalists and media houses to ensure that their rights are protected and upheld. Should the blockade persist, the ULS Society is prepared to take legal action.’ Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa told legislators that he had been briefed by the Clerk to Parliament that the NMG was being investigated over a matter he declined to disclose.

Full Daily Monitor report