Three Ugandan journalists have been arrested during raids on the offices of the Independent magazine.

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One of the three is the magazine's well-known editor, Andrew Mwenda.

President Yoweri Museveni's two-decade rule has been criticised for authoritarianism and some suppression of independent media.

The magazine's lawyer, Robert Kasango, said the journalists were held at gunpoint by unidentified security agents then formally arrested and questioned about two recent articles.

One was about the career of a former army chief jailed for corruption, the other on allegations of atrocities by the Ugandan army against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army in the 20-year conflict in the north of the country.

Mr Mwenda has been at odds with the authorities before.

In 2005, he was charged with sedition and promoting sectarianism after discussing the death of south Sudanese leader John Garang during his radio talk show.

He is still on bail for those charges.

(BBC)

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