Such laws include the law on sedition,criminal libel,sectarianism, and unconstitutional sections of the country’s penal code act. “We fully stand by and support calls by the Uganda Human Rights Commission for the repealing or amending of the outdated media laws, such as the law on sedition, criminal libel, sectarianism and other unconstitutional sections of the penal code Act, in order to have a free media,” EAJA said.
 
In their 11th annual 2008 report to Uganda’s parliament, the Commission has also called upon the Ugandan government to guarantee access to information to ensure accurate reporting by enacting the access to information regulations. After perusing the Commission’s report, EAJA is very perturbed that Uganda, despite having enacted a Freedom of Information law, is still obsessed with keeping the media in the control and at the behest of the power apparatus, which intimidate and harass the media without any regard to decency and Universal Declaration on the right to free expression.
 
EAJA notes with trepidation that despite the fast growth, in the number of media organs in the country (there are 145 radio and 34 TV stations by September 2008 in addition to over 18 internet service providers- according to the Commission’s data), Uganda has, this year, recorded the highest number of incidences amounting to media freedom violations. “The regime must learn to encourage tolerance to media freedom for its own good and for the good of the citizenry. Muzzling the media would only go far in one direction by discrediting the country’s name and that of its leadership,” the regional organization adds. In the past one month alone, Uganda has closed four radio stations and banned live debates in radios and TVs. Ten journalists (seven from The Monitor newspapers, two from The Independent magazine, and one from radio Ssuubi FM) are facing court charges ranging from sedition to fraud and criminal libel.
 
EAJA says that a number of laws that are not conducive to media freedom and whose provisions are a direct affront on press and media freedom remained on the statute books from where they could be invoked anytime. Journalists and other citizens have been arrested and detained merely on allegations of sedition. “Also, threatening to withdraw operating licences of broadcasters has caused panic, especially when such threats are issued after warnings from some sections of the executive arm of government. This results in self-censorship. Such practices, including the arrests and detentions go against the Banjul Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa, to which Uganda is a party,” EAJA adds.