Human rights commission calls for continued enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression while respecting the rights, freedoms and reputations of others
By Mast Reporter
ENFORCEMENT of the newly enacted cyber laws should be lawful and shouldn’t deprive citizens of the enjoyment of freedom of expression, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has said.
The recently signed Cyber Security Act and Cyber Crimes Act have spread fear among Zambians who now feel that even an innocent comment in reaction to what those in government or members and leaders of the ruling party do or say might get them arrested.
“The Commission is urging the Government and other State actors as the primary duty bearers, to ensure that the enforcement of cyber laws is always lawful, necessary, proportional and consistent with the established international human rights standards and obligations,” HRC spokesperson Mweelwa Muleya
said in a statement yesterday.
“Therefore, it is expected that the enforcement of cyber laws will not result into violations or abuse of human rights. In an event that human rights will be violated or abused, adequate safeguards exist to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable, while victims are granted effective remedies in accordance with the due process and equal protection of the law.”
On popular social media platforms, especially Facebook and WhatsApp, the laws have now become a butt for all kinds of jokes among users with many fearing that some of the posts from the government, United Party for National Development (UPND) and its supporters are deliberate traps aimed at getting them arrested using the cyber laws once they comment or react.
There is also a perception that state police have been selectively enforcing the laws to target opposition members and leaders as well as critics of the government for political reasons.
But Muleya said the enactment of the revised cyber laws should not undermine the enjoyment of the fundamental rights, especially the right to freedom of expression which is indispensable to the promotion of constitutionalism, the rule of law as well as the promotion and protection of other human rights.
“The Human Rights Commission is urging everyone not to be constrained by the revised Cyber Security Act and Cyber Crimes Act from exercising the fundamental right to freedom of expression and opinion,” Muleya said.
“The Commission has observed that the recent amendments and enactment of the Cyber Security Act, No. 3 of 2025 and the Cyber Crimes Act, No. 4 of 2025 have created an aura of apprehension and fear that the legal reforms are aimed at suppressing freedom of expression.”
