CPJ expresses concern over press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed concern over press freedom in Zambia ahead of elections later this year. “CPJ expressed its deep concern over a recent string of press freedom abuses in Zambia and President [Fredrick] Chiluba’s government’s increased monitoring of state-funded media. Given the hostile climate that local journalists now face, CPJ has little confidence that they will be able to work effectively during the run-up to general elections scheduled for later this year,” the CPJ said in a statement.

The CPJ said the latest attacks on Zambian journalists appeared to be reprisals for critical press coverage of Chiluba and other top-ranking officials of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). The organisation cited the case of Bivan Saluseki, a reporter for the independent ‘The Post’, who was arrested for a 16 July story alleging that Chiluba and several members of his cabinet were involved in corruption. Police briefly detained Saluseki before charging him with criminal defamation of the head of state under Article 69 of Zambia’s Penal Code. The code prescribes up to three years in jail for “any person who, with intent to bring the president into hatred, ridicule or contempt, publishes any defamatory or insulting matter”.

The CPJ added that journalists have also been targeted for criticising other officials. On 9 July, for example, police in the Northern province town of Mpika arrested Ernest Mwape, a correspondent for the private station ‘Radio Phoenix’ who also contributed to ‘The Post’. The arrest followed a 6 June article by Mwape alleging that Mulenga Supuni, the area’s district administrator, had reprimanded local police for failing to give him adequate security protection during a student riot.