By Davis Mugabi
The International Press Association of Uganda has raised concern over an alleged probe into the works on an international journalist based in Uganda.
The IPA says that “our members, Liam Taylor, is under investigation by the Uganda Police Force in relation to his work.”
“It is well known to many Ugandan government officials that Taylor is a professional journalist, accredited by the Uganda Media Council, with permission from the Directorate of Citizenship & Immigration Control to work in Uganda and has reported extensively from the country for seven years. Since 2016 Taylor has regularly interviewed Ugandan government officials – including senior ministers – and has faithfully reported on Uganda for many international publications. In recent months Taylor has been in communication with a public relations official and a minister at the Ministry of Lands, Housing & Urban Development in an attempt to arrange an interview for an article on land disputes in Wakiso District, however, no one was made available. An article published 1 September and quoting an anonymous source reports that police and other security agencies intend to question Taylor in relation to his reporting on land issues. This is an ongoing story in Uganda which has been widely covered in national media, making it all the more difficult to understand why Taylor’s reporting would provoke any criminal investigation. Despite all the appropriate authorities having Taylor’s contact details we are not aware of any attempt to contact him about this matter. Requesting an interview from public officials is normal journalistic practice and if any police investigation is underway it may constitute an attempt to obstruct an accredited journalist from doing their job. In a free society journalists must not be subject to harassment or intimidation for reporting the news,” the IPA said in a statement Friday.
The Association called “for an immediate resolution to this issue and an end to harassment of journalists.”
