By KT Reporter
The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has appealed to journalists to embrace responsible reporting during elections and help safeguard human rights. Speaking at the opening of tribunal case hearings at the Mbarara regional office, Tribunal Commissioner Simeo Muwanga Nsubuga urged the media to report accurately on human rights issues, particularly during the campaign season.
“We appeal to you people, you are the ones to identify cases of human rights violations during the campaigns. We currently request you to report them the way you have observed them, because what you report also helps us to get information,” Nsubuga said. The tribunal is hearing 15 cases from the Ankole region, including nine involving deaths of suspects in the hands of security agencies and others linked to torture.
Nsubuga reminded journalists that the commission is constitutionally mandated to investigate violations, but reports through media houses provide vital leads. “So our appeal to you, please don’t cover up such incidents,” he added. Jacklet Atuhaire Rwabukurukuru, another commissioner, said the commission had observed violations such as bribery and intimidation, and called on politicians to respect each other and ensure a violence-free election.
Hon. Shifrah Lukwago noted that violations are not only committed by politicians but sometimes by electorates themselves. “They carry out attacks but later fault their leaders,” she said. UHRC Chairperson Hon. Mariam Wangadya encouraged journalists to also report violations committed against them, assuring them that their cases would be given due attention. She revealed that some cases filed by journalists following the recently concluded Kawempe by-election are still pending hearing.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
