5 March 2019, Kampala
African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) protests the continued detention of journalist and filmmaker Moses Bwayo. Mr. Bwayo was yesterday, 4 March, remanded to Luzira Prison on account of there being inadequate time to scrutinise his bail application. Mr Bwayo was arrested on 24 February while filming a documentary on Mr Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine — a musician and member of parliament who also is the leader of People Power, a political pressure group. The documentary was commissioned by a UK based firm, Southern Films. He was released on 26 February on police bond. He was produced in court yesterday with eight others to answer to charges of illegal assembly only for the group to be sent to prison on remand. The group is expected to return to court on 6 March for a decision on bail.
ACME calls for the unconditional release of Mr. Bwayo and his co-accused, who in our view should not have been arrested in the first place. “We urge police to maintain an environment where journalists and Ugandans generally can carry on their work without intimidation and harassment,” said Dr Peter G. Mwesige, the executive director of ACME. “The continued clampdown on freedom of expression and of the media only undermines our young and fragile democracy.”
ABOUT AFRICAN CENTRE FOR MEDIA EXCELLENCE: ACME is a Kampala-based independent, non-profit professional organisation committed to excellence in journalism and mass communication in Africa. The organisation fulfils its mandate through refresher training for mid-career journalists; media literacy training for civil society organisations, corporate companies and others; media research; free expression advocacy; and media monitoring. For further information, please contact Dr Peter Mwesige on +256-784-471-527; mwesige@acme-ug.org
