Amnesty International on Thursday urged Zambian authorities to drop all charges against journalist MacPherson Mukuka, and release him from detention following his arrest for posting a private conversation involving public servants on social media.
Mukuka, a journalist with the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), was arrested on July 17 for recording a private conversation between Zambian public servants in a presidential campaign team without their consent and uploading it onto social media. Authorities have charged him under section 10 of the 2025 Cyber Crimes Act, which criminalizes the recording of a private conversation without prior notice and prescribes a fine, an imprisonment sentence not exceeding two years, or both as sanctions.
According to Amnesty International’s regional director, Tigere Chagutah, Mukuka’s arrest constitutes a misuse of the criminal justice system by authorities in order to intimidate journalists for simply performing their professional duties.
He further stated that the arrest of Mukuka under the Cyber Crimes Act raises concerns about the legislation’s application in Zambia and its potential impact on investigative journalism, pointing out that the incident comes a few weeks before general elections are scheduled for August 13. Amnesty International also noted that there is currently a petition before the court challenging the 2025 Cyber Crimes Act and the Cyber Security Act which have been heavily criticized by legal bodies due to the nature of their provisions that give states sweeping surveillance powers, and leave critical terms vulnerable to political weaponization.
Mukuka’s lawyers have since filed an application to the Lusaka High Court seeking a writ of habeas corpus to challenge his prolonged police detention, arguing that keeping him behind bars without taking him to court or freeing him on bond was a violation of his constitutional rights.
Additionally, Amnesty has emphasized that authorities must cease their attacks on journalists and uphold fundamental human rights, including press freedom and the right to freedom of expression. It also stressed that Zambian authorities should comply with the country’s human rights obligations by ensuring that the media can report on issues of public interest without fear of reprisals or retaliation.
Rights groups have previously condemned Zambia’s deteriorating human rights record and its restrictive media laws. In 2024, Amnesty International condemned the arrest of a Zambian journalist for publishing an article critical of government officials and urged authorities to uphold constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression.
In June 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) raised concerns about the declining state of press freedom in Zambia following a High Court order that prevented the broadcast of an investigative documentary regarding Chinese investments in the country.
Freedom of expression is enshrined under Article 20(1) of the Zambian Constitution, and this includes the right to hold opinions, impart ideas, and information. However, civil society groups have pointed out that the clawback clause under Article 20(2) of the Constitution which permits the government to restrict this right if they are “reasonably required” for national security reasons, directly contravenes Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Zambia is a party to.
