Maravi

Stop intimidating The Post, CPJ asks govt

Stop intimidating The Post, CPJ asks govt
By Mwala Kalaluka, Speedwell Mupuchi and Maluba Jere

New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has asked the Zambian government to stop seeking ways to intimidate and censor the country’s leading independent daily, The Post.

And the International Press Institute (IPI) described the day Post news editor Chansa Kabwela was acquitted as a huge victory for press freedom.
In a statement issued shortly after the magistrate Charles Kafunda’s ruling, CPJ’s Africa programme coordinator Tom Rhodes described the ‘pornography’ charge against Kabwela as a spurious one.

“CPJ is pleased by the decision to acquit Chansa Kabwela on the spurious charge of disseminating obscene photographs,” Rhodes stated. “The Zambian government must stop seeking ways to intimidate and censor the country’s leading independent daily.”

Kabwela was charged for disseminating photos to several government officials of a woman giving birth in a hospital car park during a nurses’ strike in June.
And IPI deputy director Alison Bethel-McKenzie said they were encouraged by magistrate Kafunda’s decision to acquit Kabwela.

“Today is a huge victory for press freedom. IPI is encouraged by the court’s decision to throw out the case against Chansa Kabwela for the absurd charge of distributing obscene photographs,” said Bethel-McKenzie. “As an editor at the newspaper, Kabwela chose not to print the disturbing pictures, and instead decided to send them to the responsible officials and civil society members. As a Zambian citizen, Kabwela has the right to call officials’ attention to problems in the country without facing trumped-up charges merely because of her journalistic affiliation with The Post.”

CPJ is an independent, non-profit organisation that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide while IPI is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists which is dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism.

And the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Steven Lungu said Kabwela’s acquittal was based on facts and law. Lungu said magistrate Kafunda’s ruling was delivered objectively. He noted that in his ruling, magistrate Kafunda upheld the rule of law saying Kabwela’s case was an example of that the judiciary was capable of acting objectively.

“The belief that the judiciary is compromised in some people is not true. The reason is people base their judgments on a few cases reported in the press,” he said. “But the truth is the judiciary renders a lot of judgments and should not be judged by just a few cases. That is why I say Chansa’s case is an example of what the judiciary is capable of doing.”

Lungu said there was no need for people to lose confidence in the judiciary because it was still committed to upholding the rule of law.
He said it was, therefore, disappointing to read statements from politicians discrediting the judiciary. Lungu said much as politicians had the right to express themselves on any issue, they needed to be mindful that it was an important organ.

“They politicians ought to exercise restraint but still express themselves. They should be mindful that the judiciary is an important organ,” said Lungu.

Labels: CPJ, JOURNALISM, THE POST

posted by MrK @ 1:37 PM