Journalists commemorate World Press Freedom Day

The day marks 30 years ever since the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3rd May as World Press Freedom Day in December 1993.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day will be commemorated under the theme: Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a driver of all other human rights.

The commemoration comes at the backdrop of gross violation of the journalist’s freedom of expression among other rights.

Recently, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) expressed its dissatisfaction with the Police over assault and brutal attacks on journalists.

The association’s dissatisfaction followed an incident were Police brutally attacked journalists who were covering a press conference of medical interns and senior health officers who were announcing a sit-down strike over pay and delayed deployment.

Among the journalists who faced it rough at the hands of Police included Thomas Kitimbo, a video journalist working for NBS television and Francis Isaano, a photographer among others.

Towards the 2021 presidential elections, Moses Bwayo, a freelance journalist and filmmaker, was shot in the face with a rubber bullet as he covered musician-turned-politician presidential contestant then, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.

Bwayo told Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that he tried to protect himself by lifting his camera to cover his face, but that he suffered a wound to one of his cheekbones and was treated at a local hospital.

CPJ, on its website, indicates that on November 11, a group of men in the northern town of Lira attacked a news crew from the privately owned broadcaster NBS TV, who were covering a campaign stop Kyagulanyi.

CPJ further reported, “The men, who had set up a roadblock using burning tires, used large stones to break the windows of the company-branded vehicle, in which camera operator Thomas Kitimbo and reporter Daniel Lutaaya were traveling, and stole a laptop and chargers from the journalists, according to those reports and statements. NBS TV reported that Kitimbo suffered minor injuries to his arms and face.”

To commemorate the day, all media houses in Uganda have put out a joint editorial expressing the need to protect freedom expression in the face of growing journalists rights violation.