The Post newspaper’s assistant news editor George Chellah was threatened by a group of political party supporters while attending a United Party for National Development (UPND) press conference on Wednesday, 24 November in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, he told IPI by phone today.

According to Chellah, he was personally invited to the UPND press conference by a member of the party’s leadership. Once he arrived, it was revealed that the meeting had been called explicitly so that the party leadership could denounce Chellah and The Post newspaper, which they declared was the UPND’s “first enemy.”

As Chellah left the conference, he saw four or five party cadres standing near his vehicle. “Are you George Chellah?” the men asked.  “If you are the one let me warn you that we don’t care who you are and what you do. You should write good things over this meeting. If you don’t we will come after you. I can assure you that the next time we see you, we will burn you alive,” one party supporter was quoted by The Post as saying.

When the journalist got into his car, he told IPI, he was quickly surrounded by UPND supporters who banged on the windows. Chellah attempted to call UPND leaders whose contacts were in his phone, but they did not pick up. Trapped by parked cars, it was not until Chellah threatened to “bash” into the other vehicles that a UPND parliamentarian came to his assistance and asked cadres to clear the way.

It is believed that the threats were related to a story by Chellah that ran in The Post one day earlier, which alleged that UPND’s leaders were in talks with the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD), in breach of the UPND’s partnership with another opposition party.

Chellah filed a complaint about the head cadre with the police on the same day, and Chellah was subsequently informed that a docket was opened against the accused.
The attack provoked an immediate response from members of the ruling MMD. Information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha was quoted on 26 November by the government-owned Times of Zambia as saying, “Everyone should be assured that the Government has a duty to protect all citizens, whether journalists or not, and will not allow any one to take the law into their hands.”

Political party supporters from across the spectrum, including from the MMD and the Patriotic Front (PF), have been blamed for insulting, threatening or even attacking reporters in the past.

The International Press Institute condemns this attack against Chellah, and urges the police to arrest and prosecute cadres from any political party who threaten, intimidate or attack journalists from any media house.
The International Press Institute conducted a press freedom mission to Zambia from 11-17 October 2010, meeting with journalists and the information minister for meetings on media regulation and press freedom. These discussions revealed that journalists from both private and public media regularly contend with exclusion, threats and intimidation at the hands of political party supporters, who often act with impunity. The full IPI report will be published in the coming days.