By Francis Chipalo
The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of journalist MacPherson Mukuka, warning that his detention sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Zambia.
MLC Chairperson Henry Kabwe said the arrest of a journalist for work done in the public interest undermines Zambia’s democratic values and risks silencing investigative reporting.
“We are alarmed that a journalist can be detained for work done in the public interest. Such actions undermine Zambia’s democratic principles and create a chilling effect on the media,” Kabwe stated.
Meanwhile, MLC expressed concern that parts of Zambia’s legal framework, including the Cyber Crimes Act, use vague language that can be misused to target critical reporting.
The Committee has urged Parliament and the Ministry of Justice to urgently review the laws to ensure they are in line with the Constitution and Zambia’s international human rights obligations.
The Committee further called on the courts, law enforcement agencies, and legislators to explicitly recognise qualified privilege for journalism.
Kabwe warned that without such protections, sources will dry up and the media’s role as a watchdog will be weakened.
He said the repeated targeting of journalists shows why Zambia needs clear legal safeguards that distinguish public interest journalism from offences such as the dissemination of ‘false information’.
MLC also reiterated that media professionalism is best guaranteed through media-led statutory self-regulation, not through criminal penalties or broad powers to search and seize journalists’ devices without public interest safeguards.
“A free press is not a threat to national security or public order. It is a pillar of it. The detention of MacPherson Mukuka risks reversing the progress Zambia has made on press freedom,” Kabwe added.