The eight detained Red Pepper journalists and Editors have been charged with offensive communication, publication of information prejudicial to security and libel (defamation) contrary to the law.
They were Monday afternoon produced at Buganda Road Court to have the charges read to them.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mike Chibita also charged the journalists with injuring the reputation of President Museveni and disturbing the peace of Gen. Salim Saleh and Minister of Security Lt Gen Henry Tunkunde.
Red Pepper editors, managers and journalists including Johnson Tumusiime the Managing Director, Ben Byarabaha the Senior Editor and Francis Tumusime the Special Project Editor were arrested last week following a controversial story carried by Red Pepper on Monday November 20, 2017.
The story alleged that President Yoweri Museveni together with Gen Saleh and Lt Gen Tumukunde were plotting to topple Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.
The journalists have since been held at Nalufenya detention facility in Jinja.
According to a charge sheet sanctioned by Chibita on Monday November 27, the eight journalists “with intent to defame H.E Yoweri Museveni caused the publication of a headline story ‘Museveni Plots to Overthrow Kagame – Rwanda’ and distributed the same throughout Uganda”
The DPP further states that the news story “injured the reputation of President Museveni and subjected Jim to hatred, contempt and ridicule”.
Others charged with similar offenses include Arinaitwe Rugyendo the Red Pepper Chief Marketing Officer, Richard Kintu the Deputy News Editor, Patrick Mugumya the Director of Operations, Johnson Musingizi the Chief Finance Officer and James Mujuni a journalist with the same paper.
They are accused of using offensive communication contrary to the Computer Misuse Act of 2011.
According to the charge sheet, the accused “willfully and repeatedly with no purpose of legitimate communication used electronic system and communications to publish in the Red Pepper stories wherein Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde was portrayed as plotting to overthrow the President of Rwanda..”
It adds; “…whereas not which disturbed the quiet and right of privacy of Lt Gen Tumukunde”.
On the offence of publishing information regarded as prejudicial to security, the DPP said that the article in question was not justified, it gave information on military operations, strategies and troop locations which in effect “is likely to disrupt public order and security”.
Last week, Police spokesperson SSP Emilian Kayima had revealed that the journalists would face terrorism charges but this did not appear on the final charge sheet by the state.