"We are concerned that physical and legal attacks on journalists intimidate and silence the press," the organisations said in a letter to President Yoweri Museveni. "They stifle criticism and can lead to self-censorship."
One journalist has been killed, another beaten, and others have been detained and prevented from working on vague "anti-terror" grounds in recent week. A proposed amendment to the Press and Journalist Act would restrict freedom of expression through onerous registration and licensing requirements on printed media.