A group of armed policeman have intimidated the family of the editor of the Zambian Watchdog news website, the editor told IPI on Friday.

According to the editor, police went to his hometown and threatened to beat his 82 year-old grandfather if the man refused to reveal the whereabouts of his grandson.

At the same time, police are seeking to interrogate George Zulu, a reporter at the Watchdog. While the Watchdog had not been told what the content of the police discussions will be, they said their own sources within the police said that it was in connection with negative reports about new President Michael Sata.

IPI was unable to reach Presidential spokesperson George Chella for comment. Police Inspector General Francis Kabonde told IPI that he was unaware of the situation, but that he would look into it.

“Whatever the motive, it is unacceptable for the police to target the family of a journalist in order to identify his whereabouts,” said IPI Director Alison Bethel McKenzie. “The Zambian Watchdog, like all other media, is entitled to freedom of the press and freedom of expression, and its journalists and their families should not be intimidated as a result of their work or their criticism of the government.”

“We hope that the government takes the report from the Zambian Watchdog seriously and holds those responsible accountable, in order to send a strong signal that they value press freedom and will not tolerate such attacks against journalists,” McKenzie added.

Note: This article has been modified to protect the identity of a journalist who expressed concerns over his safety.