20110513
REUTERS

Journalists in Uganda have imposed a news blackout on the east African country's government in protest against what they described as rising brutality against reporters covering demonstrations over high prices.

"We are sick and tired of unprovoked police brutality against us as we go about our work," Ssebagala Wokuri, an official at the Human Rights Network for Journalists told reporters on Friday.

The boycott will include the entire government and police functions, including President Yoweri Museveni, they said, but it was not clear if all the news media had signed up to it.

The capital Kampala and other major towns have seen violent confrontations between demonstrators and security forces that are struggling to put down twice-weekly protests against high food and fuel prices.

Up to five people were killed on Thursday when Ugandan police shot at supporters of opposition leader Kizza Besigye, after the protesters attacked cars carrying African leaders at the inauguration of Museveni.

The US-based rights body Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Ugandan police and military have been using disproportionate force to quell the demonstrations.

Journalists said police appeared in some cases to target them deliberately.

They convened at the government-run media centre, and had planned to walk out on the information and internal affairs ministers as they held a press conference, but this did not happen because the ministers failed to show up.

"We'll not cover anything to do with government including police and the army until we get a formal apology from them to us and to Ugandan public," Wokuri said.