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Their convictions related to incidents in March 2018 and March 2019, respectively. The same charges were brought against Chilufya Tayali, a leader of the Economic and Equity Party, in May after he posted a video accusing the president of encouraging turmoil ahead of the elections.įred Manyaa and Steven Phiri were sentenced in April to a three and a one-year prison sentence, respectively, with hard labour, for insulting then President Lungu. In January, brothers Victor and Nicholas Sankisa from the Western Province were arrested for allegedly using insulting language against the president. The state weaponized criminal defamation laws to intimidate and silence government critics. Later that month, the university announced erroneously that he was not one of their employees. The calls came after he published an article in online newspaper News Diggers about the possibility of public unrest during the August elections.
In April, PF supporters publicly called for the arrest of Sishuwa Sishuwa, a University of Zambia academic, on sedition charges.
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The authorities continued to crack down on the right to freedom of expression and suppress the human rights of perceived political opponents.
Freedom of expression Political opponents Inflation rocketed and, after the elections, the Zambian kwacha appreciated. By September, Zambia’s external debt was US$12.91 billion. The United Party for National Development (UPND), the main opposition party, defeated the Patriotic Front (PF) in the 12 August general elections, breaking the PF’s 10-year rule.Īccording to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, around 1.18 million people faced acute food insecurity in the third quarter of the year. Girls were at particular risk of widespread gender-based violence. Persons with albinism suffered violent attacks. Medical professionals were harassed and prosecuted for protesting against poor working conditions. The authorities weaponized laws and state institutions to restrict human rights and intimidate critics.
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One police officer went on trial in connection with the 2020 killing of two unarmed protesters, but many others continued to enjoy impunity. Police used live ammunition against pre-election protesters. Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC), Nigeria.Inter-party tensions escalated in the run-up to the elections party supporters subjected their opponents to extreme violence and there were political killings.
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Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC.in) Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) Iraqi Network for Social Media - INSMnetwork Governance Elections Advocacy Research (GEARS) Initiative The letter notes that following the 2016 general elections, local media outlets reported at least two days of internet shutdowns and slowdowns in parts of Zambia.Īdvocacy Initiative for Development (AID)Īfrican Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)Ĭollaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) In the letter, dated August 5, members of the #KeepItOn coalition against internet shutdowns said that in the lead-up to the elections, authorities had already introduced a number of laws, including the Cybersecurity and Cyber Crimes Act, 2021, the Data Protection Act, 2021, and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2021, that could enhance the government’s control of Zambia’s online civic space.Īmong the letter’s recommendations, it urged Lungu to ensure “full internet access nationwide and refrain from arbitrarily blocking access to social media platforms such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook, and websites of media outlets throughout the election period and thereafter.”
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The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 41 other human rights, free expression, and technology organizations in a letter to Zambian President Edgar Lungu, calling on him to ensure that the internet and digital communications remain uninterrupted throughout Zambia’s August 12 general election period. This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 5 August 2021. SALIM DAWOOD/AFP via Getty ImagesĪs Zambia heads to the polls, members of the #KeepItOn coalition write to President Edgar Lungu to ensure that internet and digital communications remain uninterrupted.