WEDNESDAY, 22 MAY 2013 17:29
14 COMMENTS
Police doesn't allow any documents to be taken in or out of the cordoned premises
Two Rwandan Kinyarwanda newspapers, Rushyashya and Impamo, which print from Monitor Publications, claim that their already printed copies are part of the documents that police won’t let go out of the premises.
“I am very concerned of my paper; my staff is still also in Kampala waiting when the siege will be over. My articles are getting expired in the printer. The adverts I had run are expiring andprinting cost together is huge loss. The whole paper gross loss add up to USD $ 4, 000,” Jean G. Burasa, Managing Director of Rushyashya newspaper is quoted by Great Lakes Voice website.
“The only Rwanda printer we have is owned by state broadcaster Orinfor; it’s costly and lacking management. Many times you find that there are no papers, films etc… Monitor has been at our remedy for many years now. There politics shouldn’t have affected our business, “Burasa added.
Police could not be reached for a comment as Police Spokesperson, Judith Nabooka did not pick our calls.
Police could not be reached for a comment as Police Spokesperson, Judith Nabooka did not pick our calls.
Meanwhile Internal affairs minister Hillary Onek today told Parliament that Red Pepper and Monitor Publications were not closed and that “the right to publish a newspaper is not absolute”.
Onek said the police would carry on the search until Gen David Sejusa’s letter on the “Muhoozi project” and other documents are found. The MPs have demanded government to produce the search warrant before the close of business today.
For the second day, both Daily Monitor – the leading independent English language daily – and Red Pepper, a popular tabloid, did not produce their usual editions. KFM and Dembe FM radio stations, owned by Monitor Publications, also remained off.
Red Pepper, however, managed to produce some copies, reportedly printed from other printers in the city. However, media reports said the police was arresting vendors who sold the secretly-produced Red Pepper. This suggests that not only are the police bent on keeping the media houses closed, they were also outsmarted by Red Pepper, which hit the streets without the cops realizing it.
