UGANDA: Media stifled on bombs coverage

Media houses in Uganda have been banned from publishing further information relating to investigations into the July 11, 2010 bombings that killed 76 people in Kampala.

However, according to reports, editors of two main dailies, New Vision and Daily Monitor are challenging the injunction on legal grounds.

Read the court order, “An injunction doth issued against all print and media houses operating in Uganda restraining them from publishing information and or police investigations relating to the July 11 terrorism case pending before this court.”

Reports say that Daily Monitor’s legal team intends to challenge the injunction in court while New Vision chief executive officer Robert kabushenga said the injunction is of no legal consequence because it did not mention any particular media houses.

The injunction issued by a Chief Magistrate on August 16 came shortly after 32 men suspected to be behind the attacks were charged with various counts of terrorism, murder and attempted murder at a court in Nakawa, Kampala.

Since the twin bomb blasts, media houses have keenly followed police investigations and published details of suspects and how they plotted the attacks.