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Threatened
February 21
Fred M'membe, The Post, IMPRISONED
Bright Mwape, The Post, IMPRISONED
Lucy Banda Sichone, The Post, THREATENED, LEGAL ACTION
Managing director and editor in chief M'membe, managing editor Mwape, and columnist Sichone (with her three-month old infant) went into hiding on Feb. 23 to avoid imprisonment on charges of contempt of Parliament. On Feb. 21, the Zambian National Assembly had found the three journalists guilty of violating the National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act, a colonial law prohibiting nonmembers of Parliament from criticizing proclamations made by members of Parliament. The National Assembly Standing Orders Committee sentenced the three journalists to detention until they publicly apologized for breach of Parliament. In the Jan. 29 edition of The Post, M'membe, Mwape, and Sichone wrote articles commenting on the vice president's criticism, in Parliament, of a Supreme Court ruling that the clause of the Public Order Act requiring citizens to obtain police permits for demonstrations and other public gatherings is unconstitutional. On March 4, M'membe and Mwape surrendered to parliamentary authorities, explaining that they would not apologize to the Parliament. M'membe pleaded with the speaker of the National Assembly to absolve Sichone, who remains in hiding, of blame. Attorneys for The Post petitioned the Supreme Court with a writ of habeas corpus challenging the National Assembly's use of the Powers and Privileges Act to arrest and detain their clients. M'membe and Mwape were held in separate maximum security prisons for 24 days. On March 27, Supreme Court Judge Kabazo Chanda ruled that it was unreasonable to imprison M'membe and Mwape indefinitely, and ordered that they be released on bail. But Judge Chanda also ruled that M'membe's and Sichone's articles were in contempt of Parliament. Mwape was absolved of any charges of contempt. Judge Chanda advised Sichone to appear before Parliament. CPJ protested the charges and arrests in letters to President Chiluba and to Robinson Nabulyato, speaker of the National Assembly, and launched a letter-writing campaign to secure the journalists' release.
November 26
Kunda Mwila, The Post, THREATENED
Zambia's Electoral Commission chairman, Bobby Bwalya, threatened to order the arrest of Post reporter Mwila for asking why some polling stations had reported results for the Nov. 18 national election a week late. Two days later, Bwalya threatened Mwila again, this time for inquiring about the national election results and for asking when local elections would be held.
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