The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) notes with deep concern the detention of journalist MacPherson Mukuka

The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) is a media industry body committed to upholding professionalism, media independence, and the constitutional right to freedom of expression in Zambia. We are alarmed that a journalist can be detained for work done in the public interest. Such actions undermine Zambia’s democratic principles and create a chilling effect on investigative reporting.

In a statement, MLC Chairperson Henry Kabwe called on the relevant authorities to immediately and unconditionally release MacPherson Mukuka. Detaining journalists for their reporting sets a precedent incompatible with a free and open society.

Mr. Kabwe added that Zambia’s current legal framework, including provisions in the Cyber Crimes Act and other statutes, uses vague language that can be misused to undermine critical reporting and investigative journalism.

He therefore urged Parliament and the Ministry of Justice to urgently review these laws to ensure they are aligned with Zambia’s constitutional obligations and international human rights standards to which Zambia is a signatory.

MLC called on the courts, law enforcement, and legislators to explicitly recognize and codify the principle of qualified privilege as it applies to journalism.

Qualified privilege protects journalists from liability when they publish information on matters of public interest, provided the reporting is done responsibly, without malice, and in the belief that it is true. This doctrine is essential for holding public office bearers accountable and for the public’s right to know.

Without it, sources will dry up and the media’s watchdog role will be eroded. The repeated targeting of journalists and media houses shows why Zambia needs clear legal safeguards that distinguish public interest journalism from offences such as the dissemination of ‘false information’.

MLC also reiterates that professionalism in the media is best upheld through media-led and protected statutory self-regulation mechanism and industry standards, not through criminal penalties or broad discretionary powers to search and seize devices without public interest safeguards for journalism.

A free press is not a threat to national security or public order. It is a pillar of it. The detention of MacPherson Mukuka risks reversing the progress Zambia has made on press freedom.

MLC stands in solidarity with MacPherson Mukuka, his family, and all journalists carrying out their constitutional duty.

MLC called on government, the Zambia Police Service, and the Judiciary to ensure that journalists can report freely and without reprisal. We further call on all media stakeholders to remain vigilant and united in defending press freedom.