(MISA/IFEX) – On 13 July 2001, police in Mpika, in the Northern Province of Zambia, dropped a criminal libel charge they had laid on Ernest Mwape, a freelance journalist, over a story he had written for the privately owned “Post” newspaper on 6 June. In the story, which was headlined “Mpika DA castigates cops over […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 13 July 2001, police in Mpika, in the Northern Province of Zambia, dropped a criminal libel charge they had laid on Ernest Mwape, a freelance journalist, over a story he had written for the privately owned “Post” newspaper on 6 June.
In the story, which was headlined “Mpika DA castigates cops over rioting pupils,” Mwape had reported that Mpika District Administrator (DA) Mulenga Supuni lambasted Mpika police officer-in-charge Boaz Njolomba in the presence of his junior officers, for failing to provide the DA with enough police protection during a 5 June riot by pupils from a nearby secondary school.
As a result of the riot, the DA’s home and official car were damaged. According to Mwape’s report, the DA wondered why the police had chosen to protect the home of the district education officer, someone more junior than him, instead of his property.
Mwape told the Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA) on 13 July that Njolomba decided to drop the charge laid on him on 9 July when the reporter showed him a story he intended to file to the “Post”, giving Njolomba’s account of what transpired during the riot.
According to Mwape, Njolomba had insisted on a retraction, but the reporter refused because the facts contained in his story were true, except that he had not received Njolomba’s explanation to the DA of what happened during the riot. He charged that Njolomba was just trying to put pressure on him by charging him with criminal libel over a matter which could have easily been resolved.
ZIMA condemned Mwape’s arrest, describing it as an abuse of office and the legal process by police in Mpika. ZIMA Chairman Masautso Phiri had called for the dropping of the charges against the journalist.
