19 May 2011

Criticism of coverage of demonstrations

2:01 pm on 19 May 2011

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has attacked domestic and international media for their coverage of recent opposition demonstrations.

Mr Museveni has come under criticism recently over the way opposition protests were violently broken up.

In a letter published in the state-owned New Vision paper, he called the media ''the enemies of Uganda's recovery''.

Mr Museveni named Al-Jazeera, the BBC, regional NTV and the Daily Monitor, a privately owned newspaper in Uganda, as cheering on those behind the month-long "walk-to-work" campaign.

Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko told the BBC that laws would be amended to deal with any journalist who became an ''enemy of the state''.

Mr Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, was sworn in for a fourth term as president a week ago, as thousands of opposition supporters turned out to welcome opposition leader Kizza Besigye home from neighbouring Kenya.

Last month, riots broke out in Kampala in protest at the treatment meted out to Dr Besigye by the security services during an arrest on 29 April.

At least nine people have died in the protests, according to Human Rights Watch.