The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned the arrest and continued detention of Zambian journalist Macpherson Mukuka, describing the action as an attack on press freedom and calling on authorities to release him immediately.
Mukuka, a journalist with the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), was arrested on 17 July in Lusaka and has remained in police custody at Kabwata Police Station. He has been charged under Section 10 of Zambia’s Cyber Crimes Act No. 4 of 2025, which prohibits the recording of private conversations without prior notice.
According to police spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi, the charges relate to an article published between 14 and 17 July on the Earth Television Zambia Facebook page. The article reportedly contained an audio recording of what authorities described as a private meeting involving several individuals.
Mukuka is expected to stand trial and, if convicted, could face a prison sentence of up to two years, a fine of approximately US$4,450, or both.
The IFJ criticised what it described as the growing use of broadly worded cybercrime laws to target journalists and restrict media freedom.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said such legislation threatens freedom of expression, access to information and the public’s right to know.
“Laws that criminalise the investigation of public officials by journalists in order to expose corruption and gross human rights abuses have no place in a democratic society because they are an affront to media freedom,” Bellanger said.
He stressed that journalists must be allowed to carry out their work in the public interest without legal measures that discourage investigative reporting or obstruct the media’s watchdog role.
Bellanger further described Mukuka’s arrest and prosecution as a direct violation of the freedoms guaranteed under the Zambian Constitution and international human rights instruments to which Zambia is a party.
“We call on the Zambian authorities to drop all charges against Mr Mukuka and release him immediately, allowing him to continue his work at the state broadcaster,” he said.
The arrest comes just weeks before Zambia’s general election, scheduled for 13 August, raising renewed concerns among media freedom advocates about the operating environment for journalists during the country’s electoral period.
