(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “WHAT PRICE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN ZAMBIA?”, RIGHTS GROUP ASKS DONORS As the World Bank’s consultative group for Zambia prepares to meet tomorrow in Paris, the Zambian government has been criticized on its governance record. ARTICLE 19, The International Centre Against […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“WHAT PRICE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN ZAMBIA?”, RIGHTS GROUP ASKS DONORS
As the World Bank’s consultative group for Zambia prepares to meet tomorrow
in Paris, the Zambian government has been criticized on its governance
record. ARTICLE 19, The International Centre Against Censorship, castigated
the authorities’ ongoing harassment of the independent media over the past
year and their continuing failure to reform laws which threaten media
freedom.
Malcolm Smart, Deputy Director of ARTICLE 19, said:
“Restrictive Zambian media laws remain virtually unchanged since the days of
one-party rule, although the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD)
has now been in power for eight years. Twelve journalists from The Post
currently face charges of espionage in what is a clear attempt to suppress
legitimate debate on a matter of public interest. The charges should be
lifted and archaic media and security laws overhauled as a matter of
urgency.”
In a report on Zambia published in 1998, ARTICLE 19 called for the repeal or
amendment of provisions in the Penal Code which allow the government to
impose direct censorship and more generally create a climate of
self-censorship amongst journalists. The report also highlighted unfair
subsidies for government-owned newspapers and government manipulation of
public broadcasting. No steps have been taken to address these or other
restrictions upon freedom of expression in recent years.
In 1997, the World Bank’s consultative group for Zambia agreed to take into
account the “governance performance” of the Zambian government when deciding
whether to resume balance of payments support to the country.
Malcolm Smart commented:
“Recent claims by the government that it has begun serious talks with the
media about future reform appear to have little foundation and may be an
attempt to mislead the consultative group into changing its position. Given
the experience of The Post journalists and other instances of official
harassment of the media over the past year, as well as the lack of progress
on liberalisation of the broadcast media, ARTICLE 19 does not believe that
any relaxation of the consultative group’s position can be justified.”
