Ankole journalists unite angaist impunity
unite
By Drone Staff
Ankole Journalists unite with the aim to fight impunity. They gathered on Friday at Pelikan Hotel in Mbarara, to learn the establishment of a national mechanism for the promotion of freedom of the press, safety of Journalists and how to fight impunity for crimes against media workers or practitioners.
The workshop was organised by the Uganda Journalists Union (UJU) and facilitated by UNESCO through UNESCO Commission in Uganda.
Government representatives who include Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Division Army Spokesman and Regional Police Spokesman, all attended and gave their views on the subject.
After a thorough discussion about freedom of expression; why it matters and when is it at risk, the journalists were then taught lessons about rights of journalists and tricks violators of their rights, use to stop them from doing their journalism work.
However, in the discussions, it was also realized that some individuals stray from their professional ethics and become partisans, yet this jeopardize their work. This lingered on political aspects, journalists, instead of informing the public what is happening or what happened, he or she brings in their opinion. In riots, for instance, journalists join rioters, yet this exposes them to danger.
For as long as journalists stick to their professional ethics, they will have Human Rights Defenders on their side. According to United Nations (UN) Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity; “Every journalist killed or neutralized by terror is an observer less of the human condition, every attack distorts reality by creating a climate of fear and self-censorship.”
According to Human Rights Declaration, without freedom of expression, and particularly freedom of the press, an informed, active and engaged citizenry is impossible.
Therefore, the regional journalists from Ankole forged a way forward to campaign against impunity for crimes against media workers. They (journalists) agreed to form social media forums and a committee to spearhead the campaign.