Ugandan Journalists Face Physical Danger While Doing Their Jobs

KAMPALA - In Uganda, journalists report they have come under attack while doing their jobs. Two journalists say they were beaten last week as they tried to cover a protest over power outages. Dozens more were beaten during the run-up to elections in January.

On April 28, a protest broke out in the central Uganda town of Kayunga as locals demonstrated against a two-week power outage. Journalists were sent to cover the demonstration, including Amon Kayanja, who reports for a local television station. On arrival, Kayanja pulled out his small video camera and started speaking to the demonstrators. But when police and military police were deployed to halt the protest, Kayanja and Teddy Nakaliga, a female journalist, found themselves under attack.