Media_Freedom_in_Uganda_Analysis_of_inequitable_legal_limitations

MEDIA FREEDOM IN UGANDA
Introduction
The analysis discusses the limitations to media freedom in Uganda reflected in
the various provisions of a wide range of laws. It notes that whereas not all laws
mentioned herein are inimical to media freedom, most possess retrogressive
provisions that are not in-tandem with Uganda’s international human rights
obligations, are contrary to, and seek to water down the Constitutional guarantees
on freedom of expression embedded in the Constitution of the Republic of
Uganda, 1995.
The analysis is divided into two parts with the first part entailing the international
legal obligations and standards that govern freedom of expression and media
rights. These are reflected in the various international human rights instruments at
the UN, African Union and East African Community spheres that Uganda is party
to. Part two of the analysis discusses the national legal framework, a dissection of
the diverse laws impacting both directly and indirectly on freedom of expression
and media rights.
Also discussed are the different institutions both nationally and internationally
and how they can be used to bastion the defence of media rights and freedom
of expression. These include treaty bodies, judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms
such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights; African Court on
Human Rights and Justice among others. The analysis concludes that unless these
unjustly restrictive provisions are amended or struck out from law books, they
remain an obstacle to exercising freedom of expression and media rights. As
such, the centrality of these judicial and quasi judicial institutions in the effort to
promote and protect freedom of expression cannot be under stated.
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