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Red Pepper (newspaper)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Julius Sahara (talk | contribs) at 19:11, 25 May 2013 (2013 police raid). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the newspaper. For other uses, see Red pepper (disambiguation).

Red Pepper is a daily tabloid newspaper in Uganda which began publication June 19, 2001. Deliberately mirroring the style of tabloids in other countries, the paper is known for its mix of sensationalism, scandal, and frequent nudity.[1] The paper has roused the ire of the Ugandan government for revealing that former foreign minister James Wapakhabulo died of AIDS, and publishing conspiracy theories relating to the death of Sudanese vice-president John Garang in a helicopter crash.

In August 2006, Red Pepper published the first names and occupations of prominent Ugandan men whom it asserted were homosexual. This decision was sharply criticized by the campaigning group Human Rights Watch, which said that the move could expose the men to harassment by the government, as homosexuality in Uganda remains illegal.[2] The following month, it published a similar list of 13 women whom it claimed were lesbians.[3] In an interview published in May 2009, the news editor of Red Pepper, Ben Byarabaha, vowed that the tabloid would continue its campaign against alleged homosexuals by publishing their names, photographs and addresses.[4]

In September 2012, the newspaper received a lawsuit about a published nude photo of a herbalist.[5]


2013 police raid

The premises of Red Pepper were raided by Uganda Police on May 20, 2013. This happened soon after the paper had published a letter allegedly written by army General David Sejusa, threatening that those opposing Muhoozi Kainerugaba for presidency risk their lives. Kainerugaba is son of the long-standing president Yoweri Museveni, who is set to step down in 2016. The same letter was also published by another Ugandan newspaper, Daily Monitor, whose offices were also raided [6].

As of May 25, 2013, the police still occupy offices of Rep Pepper (as well as Daily Monitor), preventing the paper from being published [7]. However, Red Pepper has been able to print and sell black market copies [8], and its website is online and updated despite the ongoing raid [9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Red Pepper sparks controversy in Uganda" Mail and Guardian, 11 October 2005. Accessed on 21 September 2007. [dead link]
  2. ^ "Ugandan 'gay' name list condemned" BBC News, September 8, 2006. Accessed on August 31, 2007.
  3. ^ "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people" Amnesty International Report 2007 Uganda. Accessed on August 31, 2007. [dead link]
  4. ^ Q&A with RED PEPPER editor on outing alleged homosexuals Behind the mask, May 11, 2009. Accessed on November 28, 2009. [dead link]
  5. ^ "Maama Fiina’s husband sues Red Pepper over nude photos" Accessed on December 10, 2012
  6. ^ BBC NEWS, May 20, 2013 :Uganda's Daily Monitor raided over Museveni 'plot'
  7. ^ Daily Monitor, May 25, 2013: Six days later: Daily Monitor premises remain under siege
  8. ^ Daily Nation, May 23, 2013 Ugandan police arrest sellers of shut newspaper
  9. ^ Red Pepper website, May 25
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