Zambian laws stifle media - PAZA
THE Press Association of Zambia ( PAZA ) has observed that Zambian laws do not protect the media despite talking of media freedom.
PAZA president Andrew Sakala, says most articles in the Zambian constitution are crafted in a way that they directly suffocate media freedom which he said needs to be changed if true media freedom is to be guaranteed.
Mr Sakala cited the law related to contempt of court saying in most cases, media houses publish articles on court cases after facts have been presented.
He said such laws work against democracy especially that the media is one of the key stakeholder and has a big role in a democratic dispensation.
He said all laws in the penal code which do not guarantee media freedom where left by colonialists in the beginning of the last century and were meant to stifle Africans.
"And successive governments have only made a few changes especially to the Public Order Act, but most of it still exists, despite them not guaranteeing media freedom," said Mr Sakala.
Mr Sakala cited the law on the official Secrets Act which he said is so vague it does not have clear standards or terms of what constitutes an official secret.
He said the Act makes democracy meaningless because it prohibits meaningful participation of citizens who are supposed to know what their government is doing in their name.
Mr Sakala cited the law on Prohibited Publications as another law that works against media freedom saying it prohibits even citizens to buy any publication that has been prohibited.
He said the said law gives the Republican President absolute discretion powers to ban any publication he feels shouldn't have been published.
"And it is such laws that lead to journalists to clash with the police because to a journalist, what has been published is news worth," he said.
Mr Sakala also mentioned the lack of security where journalists suffer physical attacks even in the presence of the Zambia police. He said there has been quite a good number of incidences especially at political gatherings where journalists are physically manhandled by political cadres while police officers are watching.
"And when such reports are made, police will only say they are investigating the matter, which usually goes on and on without any positive results," Mr Sakala said.