Ugandan journalist charged over Garang comments
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Ugandan police charged a radio journalist with sedition on Friday over remarks he made about the death of Sudan's Vice President John Garang.
President Yoweri Museveni vowed this week to shut down newspapers he said were "vultures" meddling in security issues with speculation about the July 30 crash of his presidential helicopter that killed the former rebel chief.
The arrest of KFM radio journalist Andrew Mwenda came a day after his station was taken off the air by Uganda's Broadcasting Council, which said Mwenda's programme on Wednesday night had not met minimum broadcasting standards.
"Andrew was summoned by police for questioning late this afternoon and then this evening he was detained and is being held on sedition charges," said Conrad Nkutu, managing director of Monitor Publications, the owners of KFM radio.
"They plan to bring him before court on Monday."
Speculation and conspiracy theories, ranging from sabotage to hijackers, have raged in the Ugandan media since the death of Garang three weeks after he was sworn in as vice president.
Museveni has been particularly incensed about suggestions his helicopter was not in good condition, although he has cast doubt on Uganda's official position that bad weather caused the crash, saying an "external factor" may have been at work.
On Wednesday he singled out Mwenda for criticism at public prayers for the Ugandan crew, who also died.
"He must stop completely," Museveni told the crowds.
Uganda's information minister did not specify which comments in Mwenda's show had led to the ban, and he gave no time limit for the suspension of KFM's broadcasting licence.
Mwenda also writes for the Daily Monitor newspaper. The Daily Monitor and KFM are owned by the Nation Media Group.
Nkutu said lawyers would be calling for the journalist's release on police bond over the weekend, and added that broader talks were being held with the authorities.
"We are in discussions with the broadcasting council about the closure of KFM," he told Reuters by telephone from the capital's central police station, where Mwenda is being held.
"We are also pursuing dialogue with the government at a higher level on all issues of disagreement."
Garang's death sparked rioting that killed more than 100 people in Sudan's capital Khartoum.
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