Journalists from across the different media houses in Lira district are protesting what they call police brutality against them while covering the demonstration against erratic power supply by Umeme.
On Wednesday, some journalists were reportedly manhandled by the police personnel deployed to quell a demonstration in Lira town.
The police officers dressed in the anti riot police camouflage and armed with guns and sticks allegedly harassed several journalists and at times confiscated their equipment or forced others especially photojournalists to delete the pictures they had taken.
One such victim was Julius Ocen, the WBS television regional correspondent. Ocen wondered why he was attacked yet he had a press jacket and tag with clear identification.
Emmanuel Opio, another freelance journalist working with Daily Monitor newspaper was manhandled and his camera confiscated. Opio said a police officer identified as Alfred Tumuramye also ordered him to delete all the pictures of the riot he had taken. His camera was only returned to him later in the day.
And now the journalists are demanding for an apology from the police leadership in Lira.
Henry Alyanga, the police spokesman for Central Northern region explained that some of the individual officers who fear being exposed in the press were responsible for the brutality on the journalists.
He described the harassment on the journalists as very unfortunate and uncalled for.
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