Maravi

PFC writes SADC over journalists’ harassment

PFC writes SADC over journalists’ harassment
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 1:50:17 AM

THE Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post has written to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) over the continued harassment of Post journalists by MMD cadres.

In a letter dated May 18, 2009 addressed to the SADC executive director and copied to the International Press Institute, Human Rights Commission Zambia, World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the Zambian government spokesperson and several foreign missions in Zambia, PFC chairperson Chansa Kabwela stated that of late, reporters from The Post had experienced expulsions from meetings where public officers had been officiating, as well as physical harassment and confiscations of equipment while on duty.

"The latest was the beating up of an innocent street vendor of The Post newspaper. The beating has been justified by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services - Reverend Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha as follows, 'The Post Newspaper is reaping what it sowed because you cannot have a newspaper that reports negatively about the Republican President most of the time. If you plant mangoes, you will harvest mangoes. That is how the principle goes'," she stated.

Kabwela stated that if leaders condoned violence, what today may only be faced by The Post, may tomorrow degenerate into widespread violence, causing all sorts of problems that come with instability of a nation.

"In addition, if the government supports the violence in a bid to make our reporters submissive and afraid to perform their duties, we will be infringing the people's right to know and also to exchange their opinion freely. As an institution, we have written the Republican President - His Excellency Rupiah Bwezani Banda, but to no avail. We also don't believe that violence should be used to resolve or deal with the irritations the newspaper articles may have created to the government leaders," she stated.

"Thus, following the continued harassment of The Post Newspapers' reporters and newspaper vendors by the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) party cadres, it has become incumbent upon me to write you and seek your indulgence in this matter. Any intervention intended to avert a possible degeneration of the situation that you may render is deeply appreciated."

Kabwela noted that it was the committee's understanding that Article 20 of the SADC Protocol on Culture, Information and Sport stated that 'state parties shall take necessary measures to ensure the freedom and independence of the media'.

However, she stated that this SADC protocol had seriously been disregarded by the Zambian government by justifying and supporting the harassment and abuse of journalists working for The Post newspaper.

She stated that similarly, harassment of media workers was a violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 which stated that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression and that this included the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Kabwela stated that Zambia was a signatory to these instruments and that it was the right of journalists to perform their duties and be protected.

She added that in the last eighteen years, the paper had dealt with all manner of abuse from past and present regimes.

"We have in the past managed to overcome such turbulences in one way or the other and one of these ways has been to involve groupings such as Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the United Nations (UN), to which Zambia is a member, as well as institutions to which the paper is a member, such as the World Association of Newspapers," stated Kabwela.

Post journalists have continued to suffer at the hands of MMD cadres who have vowed to continue meting physical punishment as long as the newspaper continues being critical of President Banda.

Labels: CADRES, PFC, PRESS FREEDOM, SADC

posted by MrK @ 12:53 AM