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ZAMBIA: Un direttore di pubblicazione condannato ad una pena pesante

RSF Italia — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:29:59 +0000

Il 4 giugno 2010 il direttore di pubblicazione del quotidiano indipendente The Post, Fred M’membe è stato condannato a quattro mesi di carcere e lavori forzati. Questo giornalista è stato ritenuto colpevole di oltraggio alla corte per aver autorizzato nel 2009 la pubblicazione di un processo in corso. Si trattava di un articolo scritto da un avvocato dello Zambia residente negli Stati Uniti che aveva commentato il processo contro la redattrice capo del The Posi, Chansa Kabwela, accusata di aver messo in circolazione materiale pornografico che attentava alla morale pubblica. In realtà la giornalista aveva fatto pervenire al vice-presidente dello Zambia e al ministro della salute, oltre a varie organizzazioni, una lettera accompagnata dalla fotografia di una donna in procinto di partorire per strada: ella voleva far presente alle autorità pubbliche le condizioni sempre più difficili in cui le donne sono costrette a partorire nel paese.

ZAMBIA: Arrestato l’editore dell’unico giornale privato del Paese per aver criticato il Presidente Mwanawasa

RSF Italia — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:22:49 +0000

Reporters Without Borders today accused Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa of abusing his authority in having Fred M’membe, the editor of the country’s only privately-owned newspaper, The Post, arrested and prosecuted for criticising him in an editorial.

“In countries such as Zambia where the laws criminalize press offences, the powerful enjoy the arbitrary right to have any journalist thrown in prison at will,” the press freedom organisation said. “This is both archaic and outrageous. If the president can publicly criticise M’membe without going to prison, M’membe should have the right to question the president’s policies without being treated like a bandit.”

Reporters Without Borders added: “We call on the judges who hear the case of M’membe versus Mwanawasa to act with composure and fairness and to acquit M’membe.”

M’membe was charged with libelling the president and detained when he surrendered to the police at Kabwata police station at midday on 8 November. His shoes, belt and watch were confiscated and he was put in a cell with three ordinary detainees. He was finally released on bail at the end of the day and was due to appear in court the next day.

The police had taken deployed extraordinary resources in an effort to arrest M’membe on the morning of 8 November after he was unable to report to the police station the day before in response to a summons, although he had let it be known that he would go on 8 November. Instead of waiting for him to show up, the police launched a “manhunt,” according to a member of The Post’s management, Amos Malupenga, surrounding the premises of the newspaper and raiding M’membe’s home.

M’membe’s offence was to have run an editorial in the newspaper’s 7 November issue in which he condemned the president’s “foolishness, stupidity and lack of humility” and questioned his ability to govern in a more rational fashion. “We say this because it is very difficult for us to understand how a man can erupt like a volcano when a simple, humble and honest advice is given to him,” the editorial said.

Zambia has in recent weeks been shaken by a political crisis over a proposed new constitution. Thousands of demonstrators demonstrated outside parliament on 1 November to press for the new constitution to be adopted before presidential elections in 2006 in which Mwanawasa is expected to seek another term. Mwanawasa has said Zambia does not have the resources to promulgate a new constitution before then.

The day before The Post’s critical editorial, Mwanawasa had publicly criticised M’membe and accused him of harbouring political ambitions. “Every day, it concentrates its attacks on me,” the president said, referring to The Post. “I am incapable, I am inefficient, I lack capacities, I must be kicked out, I am arrogant, and so forth. Their energy should be directed towards persuading people to register en masse so that they can vote me out, because if they don’t, I will surely come back.”

ZAMBIA: Accuse ridicole di pornografia per l’editrice di un giornale che aveva allegato una foto, di una donna che partoriva in un parcheggio, ad una lettera alle autorità di preoccupazioni per le condizioni sanitarie

RSF Italia — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:15:36 +0000

Reporters Without Borders is outraged to learn that Chansa Kabwela, the editor of the independent daily The Post, was arrested on 13 July on a charge of “distributing obscene materials”, namely photos of a woman giving birth in a hospital car park. She was released on bail pending trial in August or September after pleading not guilty yesterday.

“Kabwela’s arrest is shocking and the grounds are ridiculous,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We urge the government to withdraw these absurd charges. Kabwela is clearly innocent because she made a point of not publishing these photos. She just sent them to certain government officials and NGOs.”

The press freedom organisation added: “The photographs are anyway not pornographic. Their aim was to alert the authorities to a public health problem. This episode is just another case of the government obstructing this newspaper’s work.”

Kabwela wrote to Vice-President Georges Kunda, the health minister and several NGOs on 10 June voicing concern about the conditions in which women were giving birth as a result of a strike by hospital doctors and nurses. The letter included photos of a woman giving birth outside a hospital after being turned away.

A week later, President Rupiah Banda described the photos as pornographic and urged the police to take action. Kabwela was questioned by the Lusaka police for several hours on 2 July.

Zambia’s leading independent newspaper, The Post is being hounded by the authorities. Reporters Without Borders is aware of at least six cases of members of its staff being physically or verbally attacked by leaders of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy since the start of the year.