Uganda constitutional and suggested that other laws that infringe the freedom of the media could also be challenged. SCORES: Individual scores: 3, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3 Average: 3.3 1.2 The right to freedom of expression is practised and citizens, including journalists, are asserting their rights without fear. ANALYSIS: Since Yoweri Museveni was declared President of Uganda in 1986, the country was governed as a so-called one-party “democracy”. The first presidential elections were held under a “Movement” (or “No Party Democracy”) system in 1996. The ban on parties was lifted after a referendum held in 2005 and the first multiparty elections took place in 2006. On a number of occasions, however, the police, exercising their powers under the Police Statute 1994, stopped press conferences and dispersed rallies of various political party leaders by force and the use of tear gas. For example, in April 2007 police broke up a press conference in Kampala called by opposition leaders. During the same month, a demonstration organised by environmentalists and opposition politicians ended in the death of three people shot dead by security operatives. Also during April 2007 the President met media owners and editors at State House and accused them of giving people room to abuse him. He reminded them of existing laws, warned that “I am going to shut down your radios” and announced that he had put a Monitoring Team in place to check on radio programmes. After the meeting, some radio owners told their 4 African Media Barometer - Uganda 2007