6/10/26
Journalists in Zambia, supported by international media freedom and human rights organisations, have rallied to support Macpherson Mukaka, pictured, who was detained in Lusaka in July.
Mr Mukaka, who works for the state broadcaster ZNBC, was accused of secretly recording and publishing a conversation in violation of the Cyber Crimes Act. The recording involved officials of the Presidential Campaign Team in the run-up to the Presidential election in August.
He was released from custody after two weeks when the High Court ruled that his detention was unconstitutional. It’s not clear what will now happen over the charges against him.
The General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, Anthony Bellanger, said that the increasing use of cybercrime legislation undermined freedom of expression, access to information, and the public’s right to receive information.
“Laws that criminalise the investigation of public officials by journalists in order to expose corruption and gross human rights abuses, have no place in a democratic society, because they are an affront to media freedom. Journalists must be allowed to do their work in the public interest, without any form of undemocratic obstacles that only act to deter them from executing their duties,” he said.
Mr Bellanger called the arrest and charging of Mukuka a direct attack on freedom of expression and media freedom, which were guaranteed by the Zambian Constitution and other international conventions that the Zambian government had ratified.
Amnesty International said the action against Mr Mukaka raised serious concerns about the application of Zambia’s Cyber Crimes Act, and its “potentially chilling effect” on investigative journalism.
