A senior television journalist working with the Kamwokya based NBS television is chest thumping at after winning a court battle involving the Uganda Police and Attorney General.
This follows after police and the attorney general losing a court battle against Twaha Mukiibi, a senior television journalist working with the NBSTV.
Mukiibi was brutally assaulted by angry policemen in uniform and civilian attire on the 15th January 2018 at Rose Gardens in Kyengera, Wakiso district while on duty during an exclusive interview with a notorious self-confessed criminal gang.
Mukiibi was brutally injured by rowdy fellas while having an inside story of Kampala’s most wanted violent, notorious and gruesome criminal gang including Paddy Serunjogi aka Sobbi, Twaha Kim Kimbugwe and Kasozi Shaffik that were blacked listed by police and other security agencies.
The trio were being held on allegations of participating in several murders, rape, armed robberies in Kampala and its surrounding areas and detained at Nsangi Police Station for further questioning.
‘Sobbi and his gang were working under the guise of being reformed criminals and bragging about their collaborations with Police’, revealed in an exclusive interview with NBS TV reporter.
Three police officers including Peter Austin Ocen, Ali Kakooza, and Kalange Yakut plus others were dragged to court after thumping the media fox at the front line of the investigation (Twaha Mukiibi).
And it’s for this reason that the high court has ruled out Mukiibi to be awarded forty million shillings (40m) in a suit filed in March 2018 against the Attorney General of Uganda and three police officers.
Twaha was represented by Walyemera Daniel of Walyemera & Co. Advocates and the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda for legal representation to the journalist to the last minute of the case ruling.
In his ruling, the High Court Judge Ssekaana Musa said, “The applicant was covering a story and in the course of his employment and was clearly identifiable as a journalist of NBS. The actions of the police officers appeared to have been intended to indeed inflict pain and suffering by way of torture to restrain the applicant from executing his work as a journalist’.
The judge explained that freedom from torture is a non-derogable right under the 1995 Constitution of Uganda which was violated by the respondents. Noting that Uganda is a signatory to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. He said that the prohibition against torture is a bedrock principle of international law.
“It would appear to every average man that it is irresponsible harm to inflict injury to a journalist who is carrying out his duty of informing the public when he is clearly identified as such. The applicant was identified as a journalist by the said police officers and it is expected of a government which runs its affairs including security in a manner which it should and not will-nilly interfere with the basic rights of citizens,” Ssekaana further noted.
HRNJ-Uganda’s Executive Director, Robert Ssempala described the ruling as a major stride in caging perpetrators. While Twaha Mukiibi was happy with the ruling and said this would serve as an example given the prevailing circumstances in the country.
