(FXI/IFEX) – The FXI has condemned the attack of African Eye News Service’s (AENS) senior correspondent in Malawi, Brian Ligomeka. Ligomeka was formally accredited by the Malawi government to cover the Southern African Development Community (SADC) head of states summit in Malawi’s commercial capital of Blantyre. The journalist went to the city’s Chileka Airport on […]
(FXI/IFEX) – The FXI has condemned the attack of African Eye News Service’s (AENS) senior correspondent in Malawi, Brian Ligomeka. Ligomeka was formally accredited by the Malawi government to cover the Southern African Development Community (SADC) head of states summit in Malawi’s commercial capital of Blantyre.
The journalist went to the city’s Chileka Airport on the morning of Sunday 12 August 2001 to report on the arrival of the Angolan delegation. He was accompanied by local British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) correspondent Raphael Tenthani and Independent Foreign Service (South Africa) correspondent Raphael Banda.
The journalists were unable to interview members of the Angolan delegation because they went directly to their hotel without entering the airport terminal buildings.
The journalists were about to leave the arrivals hall when seven masked men grabbed Ligomeka from behind and dragged him out of the building via the VIP lounge. Once outside, the armed men identified themselves as members of the ruling United Democratic Front’s youth league and threatened to “kill you because you insult our president in your articles.”
“Our president is annoyed with what you write and you deserve to die. You will die a painful death. I will slice your testicles off, then amputate your ears, squeeze out your eyes and finally shoot you to death,” the journalist was told.
The men then accused Ligomeka of being a spy for the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) pressure group. The men said Ligomeka was a spy because he had in the past briefly worked for “The Mirror” newspaper, which is owned by NDA leader Brown Mpinganjira.
The men then began beating and kicking Ligomeka in plain view of senior police officers and at least one Malawian cabinet minister, namely Minister of Presidential Affairs Dumbo Lemani. None of the policemen or politicians attempted to intervene or stop the beating, or prevent the men from dragging Ligomeka roughly twenty metres towards a thicket of trees.
One of the key assailants wore a name tag identifying him as Sam Zimba.
Ligomeka eventually managed to break free and locked himself inside a police Landrover vehicle. The driver, a Mr. Sharra, agreed to drive him to the local Chileka Police Station, where Ligomeka was placed in protective custody for three hours “for [his] own safety.”
Ligomeka sought medical treatment at his own expense at the Maranatha Private Clinic immediately after he was released. He was prescribed a series of pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs for severe bruising to the face, a possible cracked jaw bone and a swollen left knee.
Ligomeka is currently in hiding, after his attackers threatened to track him down and kill him.
He reported the incident to AENS on Monday 13 August, and faxed copies of a brief medical report to FXI’s South African office. The organisation has requested that Ligomeka lodge formal assault charges against his attackers.
The incident was reported in one of Malawi’s two daily newspapers, the “Daily Nation”.
On Monday 13 August, Ligomeka telephoned Information Minister Clement Stambuli to report the incident, but was told the ministry was too busy to deal with his complaint.
Ligomeka then telephoned the Malawi government’s chief information officer, Anthony Livuza, and reported the attack. Livuza’s response was: “Oh yes, sorry. I have read in the local papers that you have been attacked. I will inform the minister. Let’s hope they will not attack you again.”
Ligomeka is afraid that the attackers might harm his family if they do not track him down.
The FXI is deeply concerned with the way in which the government of Malawi has dealt with the case. Noting that all the heads of state from the Southern African region were gathered in Malawi to discuss development issues, the FXI believes that the attitude of the Malawian government towards the journalist raises several questions about the way in which the government views media and development.
