Red Pepper wins
Feb 21, 2004
<b>By Solomon Muyita</b> <br> <br>BARELY 48 hours after Christian leaders criticised the Government on pornography and recommended the banning of the local tabloid, The Red Pepper, the State has ended criminal charges on the publication.
By Solomon Muyita
BARELY 48 hours after Christian leaders criticised the Government on pornography and recommended the banning of the local tabloid, The Red Pepper, the State has ended criminal charges on the publication.
Director of Public Prosecution Richard Butera has discontinued proceedings on several charges of “trafficking in obscene publications likely to corrupt public morals.â€
Red Pepper editor-in-chief Richard Tusiime, circulation manager Martin Mpooya, business manager James Mujuni, deputy news editor Arinaitwe Rugyendo and photographer Amon Turyamubona have been in court since 2001 over the issue.
The DPP’s letter, dated February 10 and tendered in yesterday to the Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate, Frank Othembi, did not give any reason for the withdrawal.
When the Red Pepper advocate, Maxim Mutabingwa said he had no objection to the application, Othembi said he had no option but to discontinue the charges.
Tusiime said outside court, “We have always maintained that we did not have a case because we strictly publish news and not pornography.â€
“The DPP has realised he was misled by (Miria) Matembe (the Woman MP for Mbarara and former ethics minister) and (Pastor Martin) Sempa. We found students in action at the beach and we took pictures for our news. That can’t be a case,†he said.
Ends
BARELY 48 hours after Christian leaders criticised the Government on pornography and recommended the banning of the local tabloid, The Red Pepper, the State has ended criminal charges on the publication.
Director of Public Prosecution Richard Butera has discontinued proceedings on several charges of “trafficking in obscene publications likely to corrupt public morals.â€
Red Pepper editor-in-chief Richard Tusiime, circulation manager Martin Mpooya, business manager James Mujuni, deputy news editor Arinaitwe Rugyendo and photographer Amon Turyamubona have been in court since 2001 over the issue.
The DPP’s letter, dated February 10 and tendered in yesterday to the Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate, Frank Othembi, did not give any reason for the withdrawal.
When the Red Pepper advocate, Maxim Mutabingwa said he had no objection to the application, Othembi said he had no option but to discontinue the charges.
Tusiime said outside court, “We have always maintained that we did not have a case because we strictly publish news and not pornography.â€
“The DPP has realised he was misled by (Miria) Matembe (the Woman MP for Mbarara and former ethics minister) and (Pastor Martin) Sempa. We found students in action at the beach and we took pictures for our news. That can’t be a case,†he said.
Ends