Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza has welcomed the cash bail of journalist and human rights defender Arnold Anthony Mukose, describing his detention as an abuse of power and reaffirming the importance of press freedom in Uganda.
Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Kiiza praised Mukose’s resilience and underscored the role of journalism in a democratic society.
“Welcome to freedom brother Arnold Anthony Mukose. Your words matter. Your dignity matters,” he wrote.
“Journalism is a pillar of progress, dignity and civilization. Journalism is freedom. It never ever has been a crime. Criminals hate it. They abused power by locking you up. We are proud of you.”
Mukose, 41, a journalist, human rights defender, and co-founder and programmes director of Alternative Digitalk Media, was granted cash bail of Shs 5 million by the Law Development Centre Court.
Chief Magistrate Ivan Muloba also bonded his sureties at Shs 50 million non-cash.
The court set May 18, 2026, as the hearing date in a case in which Mukose is accused of publishing false information alleging the death of First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni.
Mukose’s bail follows weeks of pressure from legal and media rights groups, including the Uganda Law Society, which had called for his unconditional release.
The demands came after reports that he was allegedly arrested shortly after hosting a programme on Metro FM 90, where he analysed a Constitutional Court ruling on the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act.