🚨 YOUTH JAILED AFTER “CARELESS” TWEET ABOUT MILITARY COUPS 🇿🇲😳
Lusaka lawyer Dickson Jere has shared a shocking court case involving a 26-year-old Zambian youth who was jailed after posting a controversial tweet on X (formerly Twitter).
According to Jere, the young man, who described himself as a governance activist and businessman, posted a message calling on the Zambian Defence Force to “wake up” like soldiers in West Africa. He went further to mention Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger, countries that have recently experienced military takeovers.
That single tweet landed him in serious trouble.
He was arrested and charged with inciting mutiny, an offence under Section 48 of the Penal Code, and the Magistrate Court found him guilty—sentencing him to five years imprisonment with hard labour.
The youth appealed to the High Court, arguing that his message was about Africa fighting neo-colonialism and not encouraging mutiny in Zambia. However, the High Court Judge ruled that the conviction was correct, stating that it was clear the tweet was directed at Zambia’s military and police.
The Judge even noted that West Africa has recently seen coups that removed elected governments, meaning the post could not be interpreted lightly.
But in a twist, the High Court reduced the sentence, saying the punishment was too harsh.
The Judge described the young man as an “armchair anarchist”, explaining that he did not physically meet soldiers to incite rebellion but used social media, which made the offence less severe than direct mobilisation.
As a result, the sentence was reduced from 5 years with hard labour to 2 years simple imprisonment, backdated to his arrest in 2023.
The Judge also advised the youth to reflect deeply and abandon what was described as a mindset of anarchy, urging him to become a law-abiding citizen who promotes solutions instead of chaos.
⚠️ Lesson?
Social media is not a playground. One post can change your life forever.
