CHANGALA CONDEMNS ARREST OF JOURNALIST, KASEBA, TWO BLOGGERS

BREBNER Changala has strongly condemned the arrest and detention of veteran journalist Kaseba-Mashila-Kaseba on a Saturday for allegedly defaming Mark Simuuwe, a UPND consultant and a columnist in one of the daily broadsheets.

And Mr Changala has also condemned the arrest and detention of two bloggers, Evans Mutoba also known as Mr. Zambia who has been detained in Kitwe while Mathews Juvensio Phiri was picked from Chawama and transported to Chipata.

Mr Changala said Mr Simuuwe, a UPND zealot was abusing State power by using the police to arrest a citizen with whom he had differed on personal grounds in a matter that had nothing to do with the State.

He said the UPND came to power on a platform of change and that Zambians had believed that things would change for the better but were disappointed that Zambia had become worse and a dreaded country to live in under President Hakainde Hichilema.

“I had warned Clayson Hamasaka (State House Communications Specialist) that suing Saboi Imboela using the State to do all the dirty work and paying the costs was wrong. I want to warn this Mark Simuuwe that using State police to settle personal scores… to force the police to arrest a citizens on a Saturday is abuse of power. What goes round, comes around,” Mr Changala said. The arrest and detention of Mr Kaseba followed a complaint of criminal defamation filed by Mr Simuuwe the UPND media commentator and columnist, Mark Simuuwe.

Mr Kaseba is said to have exposed Mr Simuuwe as masquerading as a lawyer, a journalist and an academic without any traceable reference, qualifications or formal recognition by academic institutions, professional bodies or associations.