Harassment of journalists by cadres worries MISA

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MISA Zambia chairperson Hellen Mwale
MISA Zambia chairperson Hellen Mwale

THE Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter is concerned by continued harassment of journalists by some political party cadres.

And MISA Zambia chairperson Hellen Mwale says archaic media laws have continued to have a negative impact on press freedom and freedom of expression.
Ms Mwale said while there is media plurality in Zambia and freedom of expression, the situation is far from being ideal as media law reforms have not been fully undertaken.
“We are concerned at the increasing levels of intolerance by political party supporters who seem to have taken the law into their own hands,” Ms Mwale said.
She said this in Lusaka yesterday during the launch of the publication: ‘So this is democracy?’
The publication highlights media events that transpired last year in Zambia, Tanzania, Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe
Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa.
Ms Mwale also said Zambia’s media freedom violations have risen from 11 in 2012 to 14 last year.
She said in 2012, Zambia recorded media freedom violations that included physical attacks and detentions of journalists.
Ms Mwale said the levels of media freedom are slowly deteriorating in Zambia and appealed to Government to address the problem.

 

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