Ugandan Police Block Opposition Interviews

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) the police in Uganda have raided three provincial radio stations in recent weeks as opposition politician Kizza Besigye was due to feature. RSF has described the raids as being “heavy-handed.”

Among the stations targeted were Hope Radio, Kira FM and Mubende FM. According to a press release from the group in each case “they cut short an interview with Besigye and disconnected the radio station's transmitter. In none of the cases did they present a court order or a decision by the Uganda Communications Commission, which regulates the media, to justify their actions.”

Speaking on the raids RSF’s Arnaud Froger, who heads up the organisation;s Africa desk, stated, "Armed raids on media outlets that interview opposition politicians are doubly reprehensible - because they are illegal and because they violate pluralism of opinions.”

“With just two years to go to the next presidential election, the authorities must stop suppressing the public debate and must end their systematic persecution of critical reporting," he added.  

The criticism of the government comes after opposition politicians and presidential aspirant Robert Kyagulanyi MP was placed under house arrest earlier this week.