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Protest, advocacy, bickering: What more for Zambians’ quest for greater speech rights?

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Now at 60, Zambia has made significant strides toward achieving a free society where citizens can picket and express their opinions without fear of reprisal.

Despite numerous milestones, such as the repeal of the defamation of the President and the enactment of the Access to Information Act, significant challenges to freedom of expression persist.

Recent developments reflect Zambia’s ongoing struggle.

The Access to Information Act promises to enhance public access to information, promote transparency, and foster greater participation in governance.

However, issues remain, including the continued use of restrictive laws and practices that threaten freedom of speech.

Amnesty International Zambia’s recent snapshot highlights notable progress, such as efforts to amend the Public Order Act (POA).

The Zambia Law Development Commission (ZLDC) has reviewed the POA and proposed the Public Gathering Bill to replace it.

This bill aimed to address the long-standing misuse of the POA to curtailed freedom of expression, assembly, and association, particularly affecting civil society and opposition parties.

In an insightful scholarly article, Katherine (Hyun-Joo) Mooney, a PhD candidate at Ohio State University, underscores the need for Zambia to make more meaningful concessions regarding free speech.

Mooney noted that President Hakainde Hichilema’s 2022 repeal of the death penalty and the law against publicly defaming the president marked significant progress.

Under Section 69 of the Penal Code, which had been in place since 1965, Zambians could be imprisoned for up to three years for ridiculing the president.

Mooney acknowledged this as a step forward but highlights that media control remains a challenge.

She traced the roots of media control back to Kenneth Kaunda’s regime, which used the media to support his one-party state and Humanist policies.

Kaunda’s administration controlled newspapers and broadcasting services by staffing them with individuals who would publish favorable content.

This approach ensured that government perspectives were predominant, even in the face of criticism.

Despite the return to multi-party politics in 1991, the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) failed to liberate the media as promised, continuing to exert executive power over the press.

This persistent control eroded public trust in the media and state institutions, leading to further resistance and repression.

Mooney emphasizes that Zambia’s current administration must address these issues, especially in the digital age.

The 2021 protests against the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act illustrate ongoing concerns about restrictive measures that could undermine freedom of expression.

“The Hichilema administration needs to take heed; otherwise, Zambians will continue to fight tooth and nail for their freedom of expression,” Mooney warned.

She called for the end of the cycle of restrictive laws and violent suppression, a struggle that has persisted since the Kaunda era.

As Zambia continued to navigate these complex issues, the quest for greater speech rights remains a pivotal challenge.

The nation’s progress would depend on its ability to reconcile past practices with the demands of a more open and democratic society.

This story is sponsored by Project Aliyense.

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Zambia: APP leader lampoons PF over pledge to reverse forfeited properties

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Leader of one of Zambia’s opposition parties, Advocates for People’s Prosperity (APP), Mwenye Musenge, has criticised the Patriotic Front (PF) over its promise to reverse forfeited properties if the party won the 2026 presidential election.

Musenge, who was reacting to a statement credited to the PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Lukashya Province, George Chisanga, described the PF’s promise as a betrayal, saying the declaration had exposed the party’s disregard for accountability and justice.

The APP leader, who spoke to Zambia Monitor in a telephone interview from Kitwe, expressed shock that Chisanga, a former Law Association of Zambia president, would endorse what he termed a “regressive agenda,” accusing the PF of prioritising the protection of corrupt individuals over the welfare of citizens.

“This declaration reveals the PF’s true intentions, returning to power not to serve Zambians, but to shield their corrupt network and restore stolen assets,” Musenge said.

He alleged that former President Edgar Lungu’s consistent calls to protect his family, who he claimed cannot explain their amassed wealth, further demonstrate the party’s self-serving mission.

Musenge further described the PF as “a political carcass animated by greed and nostalgia for its days of unchecked looting,” and accused its leaders of leaving Zambia impoverished while enriching themselves.

“Allowing them near power again would be akin to handing a butcher’s knife to a thief already drenched in the blood of the nation’s resources.

“The PF represents everything wrong with Zambian politics—a relic of the past clinging to survival through recycled lies and corrupt agendas,” he added.

Musenge went on to call for the party to be permanently eradicated, saying it had no vision, morality, or credibility to serve Zambians.

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Nigerian Senate confirms influx of terrorists from Mali, Burkina Faso into the country 

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The Nigerian Senate has raised the alarm over the influx of terrorists from Mali and Burkina Faso who operate in the name of Lakurawa, into Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger States in the northern parts of the country.

The Upper Chamber, which raised the alarm during plenary on Wednesday, called on the military to set up early warning mechanisms to forestall further incursions by terrorist groups as well as maintain presence and vigilance in the affected communities to halt the activities of the terror group from spreading further across the region.

The resolutions of the Senate were sequel to a motion titled, “Urgent need for the federal government to take stringent measures to stop the infiltration of a group of violent terrorists, known as Lakurawa, from entrenching themselves in some northwest states of Sokoto and Kebbi,” and was sponsored by the senator representing Kebbi North, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, and co- sponsored by Senators Adamu Aliero, from Kebbi Central, and Garba Musa Maidoki, representing Kebbi South.

While presenting the motion, Senator Abdullahi said:

“The Senate is aware that a group of terrorists from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, known as Lakurawa, has infiltrated the country through the Nigeria-Niger border, at Illela, Tangaza and Silame Local Government Areas of Sokoto and are from there, attacking communities in Augie and Arewa LGAs in Kebbi State.

“Recall that this violent gang of terrorists had raided and dispossessed these communities, prior to the large-scale invasion of Mera, a village in Augie Local Government, on November 8, 2024, killing more than 20 people and fleeing with their livestock, amounting to hundreds of millions of naira.

“Senate is aware that Kebbi State government promptly responded by sending a delegation with relief materials to the affected villages and assistance to the families of the deceased.

“Aware that Senator Yahaya A. Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi North Central) and Senator Garba Musa Maidoki (Kebbi South), along with some members of the House of Representatives from Kebbi State, have been to those areas, to commiserate with victims of the attacks on behalf of the National Assembly.

“Aware that if timely, adequate and decisive measures are not taken, this group can spread its reign of terror to other northern parts of the country and beyond.

“Notes the prompt response of the ministry of defence and the armed forces who despatched a well-armed military response squad that was able to dislodge the terrorists and secured the release of herds of cattle and other livestock stolen by the terrorists. These foreigners have invaded the country.

“We need to nip the situation in the bud, they have international connections, heavily armed with very dangerous weapons, the federal government should take the matter very seriously.

‘These terrorists are well armed with highly sophisticated weapons, this is a very serious matter on national security, they control the whole of Northern Mali and now attacking Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger, and others. The time to act is now, we have to take action on how to tame terrorism.”

He said the Senate should revisit past resolutions on terrorism and send them to the Presidency for immediate action.

”I want us to recall what happened in the 8th and 9th Senates. We discussed extensively how we can stem the tide of banditry and terrorism. We made far-reaching recommendations, and we asked the Executive arm of government to implement those resolutions.

“It is still relevant for us to insist that those resolutions should be implemented, if we do so, it will reduce the incidences of banditry and insurgency in the country. We can reduce it to the barest minimum.”

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