MISA Zambia advocates for law reforms

MISA Zambia advocates for law reforms

WASHINGTON, 06 August 2015 / PRN Africa / -- MISA Zambia has made a submission to the Zambia Law Development Commission, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of information on Penal code provisions that are inimical to the enjoyment of media freedom.




MISA Zambia Chairperson, Hellen Mwale, stated that MISA Zambia was hopeful that the commission would consider the submission and give it the priority and seriousness it deserves.




Mwale has urged media houses in the country to follow the submission made to the commission and continue asking the relevant questions until the institutions tasked to look at the amendment of the Penal Code do so.




She further added that there was need to take advantage of this window of opportunity by mounting a strong advocacy campaign that would pressure government to yield to the demands of the people as they were the main beneficiaries of the document.




Among some of the legal provisions is the Defamation of the President Clause which has been used previously to stifle freedom. Other provisions include the 'Prohibited Publications, Seditious practices, Obscene materials and the Public Order Act to mention a few.




The submission is a culmination of three working meetings that brought together a collection of experts and civil society stakeholders to draft the said submission and areas of amendment to the penal code.




And, the submission was made public at a media breakfast meeting at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel that brought together journalists and other interested members of society for a validation of the submission.




The meeting was also graced by MISA Access to Information (ATI) ambassador Reverend Suzanne Matale who encouraged journalists to "stand firm" for the truth in their course of duty even in the face of incarceration.




Several commentators, among them MISA Zambia, have described the Penal Code as an archaic act that is in dire need of amendment to bring it into conformity with the modern enjoyment of democracy.




SOURCE Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)

Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)


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