Timothy Kalyegira, the Managing Editor of one of Uganda Online Magazines ‘ the Uganda Record’ who was remanded to Luzira prison on charges of criminal libel has been released on court bail.
A Grade II Magistrate at Kampala City Hall Court, James Wambeya yesterday remanded Kalyegira after reading to him charges of defaming the person of the president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in articles published in the Uganda Record.
Prosecution alleges that between the 12th and 15th of July 2010 in Kampala, with intent to defame the president, Kalyegira published that government was behind the plantation of the bombs that went off on July/11th killing more than 80 Ugandans at the Ethiopian village in Kabalagala and Rugby Club in Lugogo.
Timothy Kalyegira
Section 179 of the Penal Code Act of 1950 states “Any person who, by print, writing, painting, effigy or by any means otherwise than solely by gestures, spoken words or other sounds, unlawfully publishes any defamatory matter concerning another person, with intent to defame that other person, commits the misdemeanour termed libel”.
The law is being challenged by a group of journalists led by Barnard Tabaire in the Supreme Court headed.
The government blamed the bombs on al-shabab, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda.
So it was furious over the Uganda record publication, and had Kalyegira interrogated by security personnel at the CID, later on searching his home and confiscating his laptop, cell phone, internet modem and passport.
Kalyegira who was with a team of lawyers led by Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi and a team of senior journalists and the Human rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) team had been remanded till the 6th/June/2011 when he would plead to the charges.
It was alleged that the Grade 1 magistrate, Juliet Hatanga who has jurisdiction to handle this case and allow him enter plea, was not present.
Kalyegira has been under police harassment since he was interrogated, first charged with Sedition and released on police bond on 3rd/August/2010 at Kira road police station.