Ugandan reporters covering rights petition badly beaten

The security forces in Uganda have injured several journalists who were reporting on pop star-turned politician Bobi Wine delivering a petition to the UN highlighting human rights abuses in the country.

Eyewitnesses said soldiers arrived in trucks outside the UN Human Rights Office in the capital, Kampala, and started beating the journalists with batons.

One journalist tweeted photos from the scene, showing one colleague with blood pouring from a head wound.

Journalists badly beaten the military police (@ntv ‘s Wamala Cliff , @newvisionwire’s Timothy Mulungi , @nbstv ‘s Josephine Namakumbi among others ) while covering @HEBobiwine delivering his petition to United Nations Human tights offices , my camera is also damaged @observerug https://t.co/L7prN3t1t9 pic.twitter.com/7OLVIRJTO0

— Nicholas Bamulanzeki (@bamulanzeki) February 17, 2021

There is growing concern in Uganda over the fate of many opposition supporters who are missing.

Others who were arrested have said they were tortured.

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President Yoweri Museveni recently said 300 people had been detained for rioting and other criminal acts.

The 76-year-old president won an unprecedented sixth term in last month polls, Bobi Wine and his opposition National Unity Platform party allege they were marred by fraud.

A private TV channel also tweeted footage of the journalists running from officers:

This is the brutal moment Military Police officers brought terror down on Journalists. NTV's John Cliff Wamala, among others, is seen being beaten with a stick while Jeff Twesigye (on Camera) runs for safety. #NTVNews

📸: Jeff Twesigye, NTV Journalist pic.twitter.com/hsO9uMc9xu

— NTV UGANDA (@ntvuganda) February 17, 2021