Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Malawi
  • News

Charges against journalists dropped

    JOHANNESBURG

    Malawi’s director of public prosecutions, Fahad Assani, has dropped a case against two ‘Malawi News’ journalists held last year on charges of inciting an army mutiny and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.

    The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said the paper’s editor Harace Somanje and deputy chief reporter Mabvuto Banda were held for two days last June after publishing a story in which opposition supporters were quoted as asking the army to take over the government after last year’s elections which they believed had been rigged. MISA said prosecutors had been reluctant to take up the case because they felt the charges were flimsy and would not stand in court.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join