Red Pepper enters talks with government to reopen
Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda is coordinating "informal cordial talks" aimed at reopening the Red Pepper Publications Limited.
Sources say the talks are aimed at ensuring that the company reopens as litigation continues.
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The Red Pepper offices were closed on November 21st following police raid of their Namanve premises. The raid was triggered by a story published in The Red Pepper issue of November 20 indicating that President Yoweri Museveni was plotting to overthrow his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame.
Five Red Pepper directors and three editors were charged with seven counts including; publication of information prejudicial to security, libel and offensive communication, and they spent nearly a month in prison. They were granted bail on December 19. The directors include Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Patrick Mugumya, Johnson Musinguzi, Richard Tusiime and James Mujuni, while editors are Ben Byarabaha, Richard Kintu and Francis Tumusiime.
When contacted for a comment, Dr Rugunda declined to give details, only saying, "I will give you a comment at a later time."
A source familiar with the ongoing talks, however, says that government promised to look into the issue after the festival season. "Let's wait and see what will come out of talks by end of this week or next week. It may also take time because he (Rugunda) may need to consult the president before making final decision," the source added.
