The International Press Institute (IPI) strongly condemns the arrests this morning of Zambian editor and IPI World Press Freedom Hero Fred M’membe and journalist Mukosha Funga.

Local sources informed IPI that Zambian police arrested M’membe, editor-in-chief of The Post, and Funga, a Post reporter, on charges of publishing classified information in violation of the State Security Act. In Zambia, the offence carries a minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars.

According to Ernest Chanda, executive secretary of the Press Freedom Committee of The Post Newspapers, the charges are related to a story published by The Post in April 2015 quoting a confidential letter sent from the Director General of the country’s Anti Corruption Commission, Rosewin Wandi, to Zambian President Edgar Lungu. The letter informed the president that the commission was investigating his special assistant for political affairs, Kaizer Zulu.

Police had issued a warn and caution statement for the journalists on May 22. A third reporter, Kombe Mataka, was reportedly summoned but not arrested due to pregnancy.

IPI Director of Press Freedom Programmes Scott Griffen said IPI demanded the immediate and unconditional release of both M’membe and Funga and the dropping of all charges against them and any other Post staff members.

“IPI strongly condemns the arrests of Fred M’membe and Mukosha Funga, who appear to have been targeted simply for doing their jobs as journalists. The fact that a government official is under investigation for corruption can not legitimately be considered a state secret. Rather, it is information that is very obviously in the public interest and it is therefore information that The Post had a right to publish.”

As editor-in-chief of Zambia’s leading independent daily, M’membe has frequently faced legal harassment. The Post’s investigations into government corruption and abuses of power have led to the filing of more than 50 lawsuits against M’membe, who has faced more than 100 years in jail over the course of his career.

M’membe and Funga are reportedly being held at a police station close to the court, with a decision on a bail application expected on Friday morning.