Source: Inter Press Service (IPS) **Updates IFEX alerts dated 1 April, 27, 25, 20 March, 23 February, and others** Wrapping up its hearing on the upholding of and respect for human rights in Zambia, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) says that “Zambia’s human rights record has not improved.” The UNHRC, which convened in […]
Source: Inter Press Service (IPS)
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 1 April, 27, 25, 20 March,
23 February, and others**
Wrapping up its hearing on the upholding of and respect for human
rights in Zambia, the United Nations Human Rights Committee
(UNHRC) says that “Zambia’s human rights record has not
improved.” The UNHRC, which convened in New York between 26 March
and 4 April 1996, examined the commitment of Zambia, Nigeria,
Guatemala and Spain to the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR). Part of the UNHRC’s conclusions on
Zambia focused on the detention of “The Post” newspaper editors
Fred M’membe and Bright Mwape, who were arrested and imprisoned
for contempt of parliament on orders by the Speaker of Zambia’s
National Assembly.
The Chairperson of the UNHRC, Francisco Jose Aguilar Urbina, said
that Zambia was violating the ICCPR and its own Constitution,
most notably by filing “contempt of parliament” charges that
allowed for the indefinite detention of suspects.
The Committee noted that the journalists were only released the
day after the UNHRC began to hear Zambia’s case. “If it’s just a
coincidence that we started discussing Zambia the previous day,
it’s a happy coincidence,” Aguilar stated. Nevertheless, he
argued that the contempt penalties should not be used, since “the
detention doesn’t have any limits….You can be detained, and
there are no terms.” The UNHRC recommended that “mere criticism
by journalists of government officials should not be made a
criminal offence.”
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