High time ! This should have never happened in the first place. Nyakairu should be released forthwith - he has no case to answer. These antiquated libel laws should be shelved.
But those who believed there was real press freedom in Uganda had better think twice - we now know that journalists can only write what is 'acceptable to government' !
Kasangwawo
From: Omar Kezimbira <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: ugnet_: MONITOR- Uganda paper reopens-BBC
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 03:32:07 -0700 (PDT)
Thursday, 17 October, 2002, 09:49 GMT 10:49 UK -BBCUgandan paper reopens
The Ugandan army was angered by The Monitor's story
Workers at Uganda's Monitor newspaper have returned to work after police lifted their six-day siege of its offices and returned the keys.
The paper published a new edition on its website on Thursday and managers hope the paper will be back on the streets on Friday.
We are relieved to be back in our offices after working from the streets
David Ouma Balikowa, The Monitor The paper was closed down last week after carrying an article claiming that rebels had shot down an army helicopter.
Journalist Frank Nyakairu, who wrote the story, is appearing in court on Thursday, a day after two senior editors, Charles Onyango Obbo and Wanyama Wangah, were charged with publishing false news and information prejudicial to state security.
Mr Nyakairu was arrested last week in Gulu and transferred to Kampala on Wednesday.
'Network destroyed'
Production and multimedia editor David Ouma Balikowa told BBC News Online that it was a great relief to be back at work but it would be hard to get the paper running again.
The police returned some computers, but kept others, along with diskettes and papers, he said.
"Our network was destroyed and our IT team is carrying out an analysis of the computers."
Late on Wednesday, senior managers met government officials and were told that The Monitor would only be allowed to reopen if it carried a government statement denying the original story.
Mr Balikowa said that after considering the options, the paper decided to carry the statement in its first edition after publication.
Angry army
The BBC's reporter in Kampala says the helicopter story is the latest in a number of articles about the conduct of the war against Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in the north of the country that have angered the army.
Last May, the Ugandan army launched an offensive in co-operation with the Sudanese Government which, until recently, backed the LRA.
But this has only pushed the LRA back into Uganda, where it has increased its attacks.
The LRA has been conducting a campaign of violence in northern Uganda since 1987 to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni.
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