CID question editor over Kasese story

KAMPALA.

Daily Monitor associate editor Alex B. Atuhaire yesterday recorded a statement with detectives in relation to a story that arose out of a press briefing held by Kasese Members of Parliament at Parliament on the cause of violence in the Rwenzori region.

Mr Atuhaire appeared at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) headquarters at Kibuli in Kampala at around 11am with Mr James Nangwala, the Monitor Publications Limited lawyer, and Mr Timothy Ntale, the company secretary.
He was released nearly three hours later.

He is the second Daily Monitor journalist after chief political reporter Yasiin Mugerwa, to be summoned to record a statement in regard to criminal defamation offences lodged by the Minister of Defence, Dr Crispus Kiyonga.

Mr Nangwala said detectives led by Commissioner of General Crimes Venus Tumuhimbise recorded a plain statement from Mr Atuhaire and they released him without a police bond.
“Mr Atuhaire obeyed the police summons. I think the police wanted to get information from him as the associate editor because it is believed that he passed that story for publication,” Mr Nangwala said yesterday.

The root of the investigations is a story written by Mr Mugerwa published on April 5, 2016, in the Daily Monitor noting contents of a press conference in which members of Parliament from Rwenzori region talked about the cause of the killings in their region.

Thereafter, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations summoned Mr Mugerwa, who was interrogated and released on a police bond.
Mr Nangwala said Mr Atuhaire may be treated as possible witness in the case, the reason he was released unconditionally.
Criminal defamation offences have often been used by the police to target journalists over articles that are viewed by the authorities as critical.

Mr Mugerwa joins a long list of Daily Monitor journalists who have been summoned over such stories.

Previous allegations
In 2009, four Daily Monitor journalists, who were charged with criminal defamation, appealed to the Constitutional Court arguing that the law was inconsistent with the constitution that protects freedoms of expression and of the press. However, the Constitutional Court upheld the defamation laws.
Mr Nangwala said an appeal was filed in a higher court though it has never been heard.

“Until the appeal has been heard and disposed of, there can’t be a trial of any case of same offences,” he said.
In 2013, police summoned two journalists and the paper’s managing editor over a letter written by the former coordinator of Security Agencies, Gen David Sejusa.

Police also summoned journalists over a story of tribal power wrangles in Kibaale District. Most of the cases against journalists don’t reach the prosecution level.

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