(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is strongly condemning the arrest of five journalists in Zambia. According to IPI’s information, police in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, set out late on Tuesday, 9 March 1999, to arrest journalists from the “Post” newspaper, apparently after an order for them to arrest all editorial staff before dawn. **Updates previous IFEX alert […]
(IPI/IFEX) – IPI is strongly condemning the arrest of five journalists
in
Zambia. According to IPI’s information, police in the Zambian capital,
Lusaka, set out late on
Tuesday, 9 March 1999, to arrest journalists from the “Post” newspaper,
apparently
after an order for them to arrest all editorial staff before dawn.
**Updates previous IFEX alert of 10 March 1999**
According to IPI’s sources, the following “Post” reporters have already
been
picked up: Bright Phiri, Kelvin Shimo, Joe Kaunda, Amos Malupenga, and
Lubasi Katunda. IPI understands that reporters Goodson Machona and Dixon
Jere may have been also arrested. The whereabouts of “Post”
editor-in-chief
Fred M’membe are unknown.
The arrests followed an uproar in the National Assembly after the “Post”
published a lead story on 9 March, entitled “Angola Worries Zambia Army,
ZAF”, which outlined the ill-preparedness of the Zambian military and
claimed that the country would be incapable of defending itself against
neighbouring Angola. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Simon Mwila
directed
Defence Minister Chitalu Sampa to immediately take action against the
“Post”
for allegedly putting the county’s security under threat.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the President:
staff as a
gross violation of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart
information
and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,” as guaranteed
by
Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a
blatant
attempt to silence the critical voice of the “Post”
and
unconditionally
waged
against the “Post” over the past seven years
Appeals To
His Excellency Frederick Chiluba
President of the Republic of Zambia
Office of the President
Lusaka, Zambia
Fax: +260 1 221939
E-mail: state@zamnet.zm; mfalus@zamnet.zm
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
