'Under siege': Uganda's army chief clamps down on the press
Key takeaways
- Amnesty urges Uganda to end harassment after army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, shut down major independent media outlets.
- Their demand comes after Uganda's, military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered theclosure of the independent media company Nation Media Group (NMG).
- On June 28, soldiers surrounded the company's editorial and broadcasting facilities, NTV, a channel owned by NMG.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Amnesty urges Uganda to end harassment after army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, shut down major independent media outlets. Analysts see the move as part of a widening press crackdown and a looming power shift.
https://p.dw.com/p/5GJRSUganda's army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is accused by rights groups of intimidating and harassing government critics Image: Ugandan Presidential Press Unit Advertisement Rights group Amnesty International has called on the Ugandan government to immediately end the harrasment of activists and to allow the media to operate freely. Their demand comes after Uganda's, military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered theclosure of the independent media company Nation Media Group (NMG). Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni, is known for threatening critics of the government, particularly opposition leaders. His attack on the press is the latest escalation. Several opposition figures, including Kizza Besigye, are in detention in what rights groups and activists say are politically motivated charges.
On June 28, soldiers surrounded the company's editorial and broadcasting facilities, NTV, a channel owned by NMG. The military halted broadcasting operations at NTV and Spark TV. The "Daily Monitor" and "The East African," newspapers, as well as radio stations, are also affected.