Calls for more openness in government 

By Gerald Walulya

The Chairperson of Uganda Human Rights Commission, Ms. Mariam Wangadya has warned public officials against denying citizens access to information in possession of the state.  

While speaking during the celebration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) on 28. September 2022 at Makerere University in Uganda, Ms. Wangadya said that many public officials use the excuse of the Official Secrets Act to refuse journalists and citizens access to information in public bodies. 

The main speakers, panelists and organisers 28 September (Photo: David Matovu).

“I wish to implore public officials to end the practice of hiding behind the official secrets Act and Oaths of Secrecy to deny the media and the general public harmless information to which they are legitimately entitled,” she said. 

The Official Secrets Act is a law in Uganda that bars public official from disclosing information about the state that they get to know about in exercise of their duties. 

Ms. Wangadya said that, “The offices we occupy, we hold them in the public trust, so the citizens of Uganda are entitled to flash a torch into what we are doing and to judge us, whether we are serving them or not, and I think that transparency and accountability requires the public to get access to what we are doing in our offices. So denying the public information is inconsistent with those values of transparency and accountability.’’ 

While speaking at the same event, Dr. Nakiwala Aisha Sembatya, the Head of Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University said that access to information is important for everyone because: “It is through this right that we are all able to access information from public bodies, which make it important for each one of us if we are to play an important role to the national and global development.” She commended the Journalism & Media International Centre for supporting the organisation of IDUAI celebration at Makerere University. 

Dr. Nakiwala Aisha Sembatya while speaking at the event (Photo: David Matovu).

Ms Rosemary Nasaba who spoke on behalf of the UNESCO Country Representative said that since IDUAI celebration started in 2016 it has provided an opportunity for spreading awareness on the need to expand laws related to information, their actual implementation to build inclusive institutions to access the world. “Today, ICTs such as Internet platforms and artificial intelligence are important enablers of this right. They can help bridge the digital divide by giving citizens access to tailor-made and accessible information that they can also ensure services that are more efficient. They can allow citizens to access public sector information and services nearer instantly, making government services digital hence enhancing transparency and accessibility.” She said. 

Ms. Nasaba, however, warned that these developments also raise questions about the fundamental rights, ethical use of artificial intelligence and e-governance by public institutions. “Since artificial intelligence uses citizens’ data, how do we protect the privacy of citizens? As you are aware, artificial intelligence can determine what information we access on which ethical principles is this determined? So it is important that stakeholders pay due attention, so that the use of e-governance and artificial intelligence builds trust, ensures inclusion, protects human rights, and ensures the participation of citizens.” 

UN Human Right Country Representative Ayeda Robert Kotchani (Photo: David Matovu).

The Country Representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Uganda, Mr. Ayeda Robert Kotchani, said at the same event that the lack of citizens access to information continues to hamper the realization of sustainable development in Africa. He said the growth of the Internet, its use and the emergency of new technologies have given access to information a renewed importance and greater scrutiny. “Technology and especially social media have been used to spread false information, unfortunately, either intentionally or unintentionally… IDUAI celebration reminds government of their duty to respect and to uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under article 19 of the universal declaration of human rights.” He said. 

Local media stories about IDUAI: 

https://www.independent.co.ug/uhrc-wants-provisions-used-to-deny-citizens-information-amended/

https://www.ntv.co.ug/ug/news/government-officials-hiding-vital-information-uhrc-3965974

https://www.shiftmedianews.com/uganda-marks-internation-day-for-universal-access-to-information/

Silence is killing us

In an interview with Violet Gonda Afghan journalist and media leader Najiba Ayubi says the silence of the world is killing the people of Afghanistan, especially women and female journalists.  

Najiba Ayubi is a leading Afghan media personality and one of the Information Heroes by Reporters Without Borders.  

She narrates the evacuation ordeal to Germany and USA with her family after the fall of the country to the Taliban 15 August.  

The interview was done in December after she was settled in USA, but published 3 February in the programme Hot Seat by Violet Gonda.

Gonda is an award winning journalist and President of President: International Association of Women in Radio & Television [IAWRT]

IAWRT has been trying to assist its members to be evacuated from Afghanistan after they received death threats from the Taliban. Najiba Ayubi is the chapter head of IAWRT Afghanistan.  

“Tunisian Girl” Lina ben Mhenni passed away

Lina ben Mhenni, globally known as blogger “Tunisian Girl” before, during and after the Tunisian revolution in 2011, passed away last week, only 36 years old. She visited Norway and JMIC’s predecessor for a conference in 2013, and we also met her in Tunisia.  She showed immense courage and inspired people from all generations in her home country. In an obituary published by Electronic Frontier Foundation, she is quoted characterizing digital activism: as “an efficient tool against censorship and dictatorship”, but she still believed that “action in the digital world must be combined with actions in the real world” (Jillian C. York, 27 Jan 2020).

Indonesia-cooperation

Photo: Indonesian Embassy

In late June this year, JMIC co-organized an event with the Embassy of Indonesia in Oslo under the title ‘The Role of Civil Societies in Facing Radicalism in Indonesia’, with two invited scholars of Islam in Indonesia, Dr. Marsudi Syuhud and Dr. Abdul Muki. Read More

No platforming and free expression

JMICs two-day conference on the above topic took place earlier this week, with appr. 30 speakers and panellists. The participants represented a diversity of views and experiences, which was demonstrated both by the Scandinavian variety when it comes to the #metoo campaign and treatment of right-wing extremists, to a discussion on the invitation of Steve Bannon to the Nordic Media Days in Bergen. Experiences from countries where giving platform to extremists entails mainstreaming terrorists (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tunisia, etc.) were exchanged. War reporters discussed the challenge of embedding and giving voice to jihadists. And a lively conversation with Peter Münster from Facebook took place after screening the film “The Cleaners”.

Keynote speaker Eric Heinze discussed in-depth arguments for and against No platforming.

A short text cannot pay justice to such a full program. The organizers will consider a publication from this conference.

 

Doing the Rig on Press Freedom with Palestinian journalism students

Teachers and students with their certificate at the last day of the Rig on press freedom. Foto: Private

Practical, journalistic work investigating the conditions of press freedom in eight countries. This was the content of the Rig on press freedom at An-Najah National University in Nablus, The West Bank, Palestine. The Rig is a learning tool by which students are trained in working practically with journalistic methods learning about the conditions on press freedom. During five intensive days, 64 students worked with journalistic articles about the conditions for press freedom in Marocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Norway.

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Focus: Investigative journalism

 

Hamida El Bour is the Director of L’Institut de presse et des sciences de l’information (IPSI) at Université de la Manouba

Journalists from Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia came to Tunis 6-7 December to attend a workshop in investigative journalism.

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