(MISA/IFEX) – On 18 October 2003, officers of the Malawi Police Service beat up six journalists for attempting to take photographs of a scuffle between police and a motorist at a police roadblock on Zalewa road, between Blantyre and Mwanza districts. The journalists were returning from a field visit organised by the Technical, Entrepreneurial, Vocational […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 18 October 2003, officers of the Malawi Police Service beat up six journalists for attempting to take photographs of a scuffle between police and a motorist at a police roadblock on Zalewa road, between Blantyre and Mwanza districts.
The journalists were returning from a field visit organised by the Technical, Entrepreneurial, Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA).
Raphael Mwenenguwe, a journalist and specialist with TEVETA, told MISA-Malawi that the journalists came upon the police in a confrontation with a motorist who refused to surrender bags of charcoal to forestry officials at the roadblock. He said the man finally opted to turn over the bags, accusing the police of “applying double standards” when enforcing forestry laws.
Mwenenguwe said the police allowed the journalists to photograph the incident until their officer-in-charge arrived at the site and assaulted George Ntonya, a senior reporter with “The Nation” newspaper. The officer-in-charge grabbed Ntonya by the neck and dragged him around.
“The policemen joined their boss and beat us up using batons and the butts of their guns,” Mwenenguwe said.
The only female journalist in the group, Chikondi Phikiso, who works for the state controlled Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, said in a separate interview that the police officers scratched her chest with the butts of their guns while insulting her.
She added that, when the officer-in-charge learned that the group was composed of journalists, he spoke privately with the other police officers and decided to discuss the incident with the journalists.
Police spokesperson George Chikowi refused to comment on the incident, saying he did not have enough information.
MISA-Malawi is talking to the journalists regarding the possibility of taking legal action against the police.
The attack on the journalists goes against Malawi’s donor-funded police reform programme, which aims to improve the image of the police service.
