Kalema Lawrence
Earlier this week, Police invaded the Namanve based publication company, The Red Pepper, and arrested 8 of their employees. These were reportedly involved in the publication of the article on 20th November 2017, headlined;
“M7 plotting to overthrow Kagame – Rwanda.”
These included five directors and three editors and they are currently detained at Nalufenya maximum security Prison in Jinja district.
According to the latest information from reliable sources, the 8 have been charged with treason, offensive communication and disturbing the peace of President Yoweri Museveni, Security Minister Henry Tumukunde and Gen. Salim Saleh.
The names of the detained goes by Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Patrick Mugumya, Johnson Musinguzi, Richard Tusiime and James Mujuni plus editors Ben Byarabaha, Richard Kintu and Francis Tumusiime as according to Dickens Byamukama, one of the company lawyers.
However, later after the publication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly dismissed the story as a reproduction of a malicious article by a Rwandan online publication “Rushyashya” of an alleged plan by the Ugandan Government to overthrow the Rwanda Government.
The Ministry Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Patrick Mugoya, said the two countries are currently enjoying strong and cordial relations. He described the publications as “mischievous at best, irresponsible at worst and meant to sow discord between our two nations.”
Byamukama, says the directors of Red Pepper were brought back to Namanve yesterday where a charge and caution statement was read for them. The Director of Public Prosecutions will, however, have a final say on the charges that the journalists face. After investigations, detectives will submit their files to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
