(MISA/IFEX) – Police in Zambia have denied the newly formed National Pressure Group (NPG) a permit to hold a peaceful demonstration on 27 March 1999 against what the NPG calls the continued harassment of the “Post” newspaper’s reporters and opposition political leaders in the country. **Updates IFEX alerts of 26 March, 25 March, 22 March, […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Police in Zambia have denied the newly formed National
Pressure Group (NPG) a permit to hold a peaceful demonstration on 27 March
1999 against what the NPG calls the continued harassment of the “Post”
newspaper’s reporters and opposition political leaders in the country.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 26 March, 25 March, 22 March, 19 March, 18 March,
17 March, 15 March, 12 March, 11 March and 10 March 1999**
According to the “Post”, a spokesperson for the pressure group, Enoch
Sakala, said that the Lusaka police central division command refused to give
them the permit because the government had banned all public gatherings in
view of the cholera outbreak.
Sakala wondered why police were denying them a permit when a lot of people
were being allowed to go to church and funerals despite the ban being in
force.
On 26 March, the Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA) announced that
it was planning to stage a press freedom march on 31 March.
ZIMA chairman David Simpson wrote to the Inspector general of police Francis
Ndhlovu on 22 March seeking permission to stage the demonstration but there
had been no response yet.
“We are seeking permission to stage a press freedom march on March 31, 1999
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00p.m. We intend to march from Kafue Roundabout to
Freedom Statute where speeches pertaining to press freedom will be read by
the various media organisations that will be participating,” the letter to
the police chief read in part.
Simpson also said that ZIMA was seeking the services of the police band and
police protection during the march and hoped that there would be a
favourable answer from the authorities.
“If there is anything else that would be required of us before, during or
after the march please let us know and we are ready to oblige,” the
chairman’s letter added.
Background Information
Zambian Minister of Health Professor Nkandu Luo banned public gatherings of
more than ten people at any one time nearly two weeks ago, to avert the
further spreading of cholera which had claimed many lives across the
country. She also banned the selling of uncovered foodstuff, such as meat in
open places.
Ironically, the government organised a huge public gathering in the Zambian
capital to commemorate Youth Day in Zambia a day after the ban came into
effect. Thousands of people including school children, workers, ministers
and diplomats attended the gathering. Several meetings of this type were
also held in other parts of the country.
Last week, the Ministry of Energy and Water Development organised and held
another gathering to commemorate the World Water Day without hindrance from
any quarters. Zambian president Frederick Chiluba also held gatherings where
he met scores of his party cadres from the ruling Movement for Multi-Party
Democracy (MMD) during the renewal of party cards two weeks ago.
