The Inspector-General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola has justified the recent beating and manhandling of journalists, saying it is for their own good.
Ochola was addressing media on the state of security in the country ahead of the General Elections scheduled next week.
According to Ochola, police personnel has been vital in saving journalists from worse danger by beating them.
“When we tell a journalist, don’t go there and you insist to go where there is danger, we shall beat you for your own sake,” Ochola said.
Recently Journalists marched out on UPDF officials in protest of the mistreatment they were going through at the hands of security personnel.
The journalists argued that they were not committing any crime in reporting political news, they demanded the security personnel to issue a formal apology.
However, Ochola has confirmed that there will not be a single apology.
“I have no apology. We shall not apologize but we shall continue helping you not to go where there is danger,” he said.
Ochola further blamed journalists for working against the security officers.
“We have heard complaints that security is targeting the media. On the contrary, it is the media targeting security. It is portraying security as brutal,” he said.
During the campaign trail for Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine in Masaka, journalists were injured in a fracas with police.
The journalists including NTV’s Ali Mivule, NBS TV’s Daniel Lutyaya, and journalist cum political activist attached to Ghetto TV Ashraf
