Ugandans-At-Heart

Following is the text of an urgent appeal by members of ‘Ugandans at Heart’ forum demanding immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Kalundi Serumaga from prison, in Uganda.

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the condition of Mr. Kalundi Serumaga, the Ugandan investigative journalist and a prominent advocate of human rights and civil society who has been in prison since 11^th September 2009 which was the first day of the riots in Kampala. Mr. Serumaga was arrested following his participation in a political and cultural debate normally held at WBS television in Uganda.

We express our astonishment that a person, who has served his country, has devoted his life to the improvement of civil society and has come to be known as one of the most vocal and respected journalists of his time should be treated in this way.

We believe that Mr. Serumaga is held in violation of his right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.

The undersigned call for all international human rights advocacy organizations, as well as groups active in support of journalists and media to protest the arrest of Kalundi Serumaga and demand an immediate halt to any future harassment of journalists by the Ugandan government.

We are very disturbed by the health conditions of Mr. Kalundi Serumaga because we read in the Monitor newspaper on 15^th September 2009 that he had been brought by the security operatives to Kampala International with a lot of wounds on his body. We demand that Kalundi Serumaga be released immediately and unconditionally and charges against him dropped. In addition we urge you to ensure that he receives immediate and proper medical treatment while his release is being processed.

Furthermore, we urge all other freedom loving citizens around the globe to join us by signing this petition and writing to the following authorities on this very urgent and critical matter:

1.President Museveni of Uganda, State house, Nakasero, Kampala

2.Mr.Edward Sekandi, Speaker of Uganda Parliament, Kampala, Uganda

3.Secretary General, the United Nations, New York, NY 10017 Fax # (212) 963-4879

4.The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Fax # 41 22 917 9022 E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org

5.Executive Director, Human Rights Watch, New 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700, Fax: 1-(212) 736-1300 Email: hrwnyc@hrw.org

6. President, PEN American Center, 568 Broadway 4th Floor,New York, NY 10012 Tel: (212) 334-1660 Fax: (212) 334-2181 Email: pen@pen.org

7. International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 99-119 Rosebery Avenue London, EC1R 4RE United Kingdom. Tel : +44(0)2078146200 Fax : +44(0)2078331510

We hereby sign below to demand the immediate release of the Journalist Kalundi Serumaga, without any constraints or conditions.We also hold Museveni’s government accountable and responsible for his life, dignity, and well-being.

To add your signature, click on below link. Everyone can sign

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Kalundi_Serumaga

Sincerely,

UGANDANS AT HEART