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"POST" JOURNALISTS CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE

On 22 March, Zambian police arrested and charged "The Post" editor-in-chief Fred M'membe with espionage, then immediately released him on bail, in what the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) called "the culmination of an unprecedented crackdown on "The Post" newspaper." M'membe was informed that he was to appear in court on 16 April or sooner, along with eight other journalists previously arrested and charged with espionage. Six journalists who had been arrested in a crackdown earlier in the month were formally charged on 17 March, but all were granted bail of K100 000 (US$43) the following morning. Those arrested were Brighton Phiri, Kelvin Shimo, Joe Kaunda, Amos Malupenga, Lubasi Katunda and Goodson Machona. Douglas Hapande and MacPherson Muyumba were arrested briefly on 20 March and charged with espionage. This legal retaliation is seen as the latest move in a concerted effort to punish "The Post" for publishing an article that questioned the Zambian military's inability to quell an Angolan incursion.

Police detained the six journalists on 9 and 10 March for a couple of days after receiving orders to arrest all "The Post" journalists. The following day police increased pressure by surrounding "The Post"'s editorial offices and its printing press and preventing people from entering or leaving. Supplies of both power and water were cut. While those who remained inside managed to print the paper, police refused to allow it to be distributed. The edition eventually hit the streets the next day. [Updates IFEX "Communique" # 8-10.]