Release ZNBC journalist, stakeholders demand
By Thandizo Banda and Ludia Ngwadzai
THE Zambian Civil Liberties Union (ZCLU) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of ZNBC journalist Macpherson Mukuka.
Mukuka was arrested on Saturday for exposing an alleged election rigging plan involving senior civil servants who have been recruited by the ruling party for the scheme.
In a statement issued yesterday, Police public relations officer Godfrey Chilabi confirmed the arrest of Mukuka, 37, whom he said is facing a charge of prohibition of recording a private conversation without prior notice
The offence is contrary to Section 10 of the Cyber Crimes Act No. 4 of 2025.
Chilabi said the alleged offence occurred last week between and July 14 and 17.
“It is alleged that Macpherson Mukuka used a Facebook page known as Earth Television Zambia to publish an article containing an audio recording of a private meeting involving several individuals. It is further alleged that the recording was made without prior notice to the persons involved and was later published on the same facebook page,” he said.
But ZCLU executive director Derick Chekwe and other stakeholders h ave strongly condemned the arrest saying journalism should not be criminalised.
“Journalism is not a crime. The work of journalists to expose wrongdoing is a public service and a cornerstone of democracy,” Chekwe said.
“Acts of criminality do not take place in public view. They occur behind closed doors. It is through news gathering, including obtaining proof from private meetings and telephone conversations that citizens are able to know the truth and hold those in power to account,” he said.
Chekwe urged Zambians to join hands and demand the release of Mukuka.
“For this reason, we must applaud and protect, not arrest and detain, journalists and citizens who expose criminality or the planning of criminality. To punish a journalist for revealing wrongdoing is to punish the public’s right to know,” he said.
He said the arrest of Mukuka confirmed warnings the organisation made before Parliament passed the Cyber Crimes Act.
Acton Institute for Policy Analysis Centre (AIPAC) also condemned the arrest of Mukuka under the Cyber Security and Crimes Law, warning that the use of cyber legislation against the media threatened press freedom and democracy in Zambia.
Executive director Solomon Ngoma said the arrest reflected the dangers the institute and other civil society stakeholders warned about when the law was enacted without adequate consultation.
“This development is deeply troubling and reflects the dangers we consistently warned about when these laws were rushed into enactment without adequate consultation,” Ngoma said.
“A free press is the cornerstone of accountability and transparency, and any attempt to undermine it erodes public trust in governance,” he said.
Ngoma said the arrest of Mukuka sent a chilling message to journalists and media houses across Zambia that reporting on sensitive issues could lead to persecution under laws that were not designed to protect freedom of expression.
