The Uganda Online Media Publishers Association

The Uganda Online Media Publishers Association (OMPA) has condemned the unfortunate raid by police on The Pepper Publications Limited in Namanve and demanded the release of the arrested Pepper directors and editors.


One of the directors James Mujuni being led away

In a statement issued by OMPA President Giles Muhame, police has 24 hours to release the Red Pepper bosses or face a digital media ban.

“We are very concerned about the unprecedented treason charges preferred against them; treason is a capital offence punishable by death,” said OMPA President Giles Muhame.
Police this week raided the publication after publishing a story quoting a Rwandan newspaper alleging that President Museveni was planning to topple his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame.
Here is a full press statement:

The Uganda Online Media Publishers Association (OMPA), notes with concern the recent raid by the Uganda Police of the premises of The Pepper Publications Limited, the arrest of 5 directors and senior editors and the subsequent shutdown and or prevention of publication of their following titles:

The Red Pepper NewspaperKamunye News Paper,Entatsi Weekly News Paper,Red Pepper –Online.

Their radio station- Juice FM -103.4 has also been taken off air.

While OMPA respects the mandate of the Uganda Police to keep law and order, we are equally concerned and deeply troubled that the 5 directors and three editors are now being detained beyond the constitutional 48 hours.

We are also concerned by the confiscation of all their tools of trade, the destruction of their servers as well as the shut-down and disruption of the business- especially at a time when the economy is difficult and unemployment levels are on the rise.

We are also concerned that the suspects are being held at the notorious Nalufenya detention centre- a facility that is 70 kilometers away from their families and loved ones and has most recently been flagged as a torture center for suspects.

We are very concerned about the unprecedented treason charges preferred against them; treason is a capital offence punishable by death.

We believe these frivolous charges, at a time when state prosecutors attached to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) are on strike and the


consequent indefinite suspension of all criminal sessions by the Judiciary are designed to detain the journalists for longer than necessary.