Two Journalists picked up by authorities in early morning raids at their homes on suspicion that they were responsible for publishing the Zambian Watchdog will spend Tuesday night in police custody.
Clayson Hamasaka and Thomas Zyambo will stay in police cells over night as investigating officers go through the documents and computers confiscated from their homes as part of the investigations.
Mr. Hamasaka has since been moved to Woodlands Police Station in Lusaka after being interrogated the whole day in the presence of his lawyer Wilson Mweemba from Mweemba and Company.
Mr. Zyambo whose whereabouts were unknown for most part of Tuesday was found being held at Ridgeway Police Station.
The investigators comprising officers from DEC, Zambia Police and the Zambia Intelligence Unit arrived at Mr. Hamasaka and Mr. Zyambo homes in separate raids in the early hours of Tuesday with search warrants for narcotic drugs.
Mr. Hamasaka’s lawyer Willie Mweemba said his client is calm and has remained in good spirits trough out the ordeal.
“He is doing fine given the circumstances. They started scanning through the computer and the phones from the morning and I was present throughout the process and around five we agreed that we take a break and that is how they took him to Woodlands,” Mr. Mweemba said.
“So we will resume the process tomorrow morning and hopefully conclude. The officers are aware that they cannot keep my client for more than 48 hours so we should be concluding tomorrow.”
The PF government has intensified its efforts to clamp down on media houses perceived to be anti-government.
Vice President Guy Scott last Friday told Parliament he would personally celebrate the day that the Zambian Watchdog would be closed down.
When you wage a war against journalists, you ultimately lose.
High Speed… This is true for honest, truthful and objective Journalists. Not arrogant, disrespectful, and thieving Journalists like Hamasaka bent on spreading anarchy in the country.
@Darcy you are so right. They are not even journalists to begin with, their grammar is horrendous and they are not impartial!
I get your point Darcy. Maybe the government should find ways of addressing this other than arrest. You know that now they are giving ZWD a wider audience, including an international one.
Regardless of the quality of journalism, to the rest of the world, Zambia has no freedom of the media and that’s a no-no.
Have you seen the number of nonsensical websites here in the US against the president? There are plenty. But there are no arrests (unless of course you intend to cause harm) they are just basically in the background, unknown.
PF has just raised the profile of ZWD
Has any of these blind tail followers read zambia intelligence news website and seen objectivenes???
@Ndobo, why read O.P’s website or news, are you planning something?
What is to be done? We keep hearing of bad things happening to the Zambian democracy.What is to be done?Please advise my heart is breaking.
Sata don’t break Jemma’s heart please!! Be loving..!
LOL. Nostradamus that’s funny. Stop making fun of my little sister Jemma.
The dogs arrested were not journalists but common criminals who should be hanged by their balls or fed to hungry crocodiles
In view that is a correct description of yourself although in a lighter manner.
You’re a piece of s*****. Pf cadres are so irritating.
t’s not DEC or ZP. These guys are only carrying instructions.
It’s that Diapered UKWA who should be chucked out and now. His lies have caught up with him to an extent he’s busy soiling himself in his pants. Oh I forgot the urine bag frequency change has equally doubled.
Tone down your language, this is not ZWD website.
Old rugs language yakosa but, am laughing ou loud, you must have a PHD in language when annoyed ka?
You are probably a upnd sucker yourself @OldRugsOUT
As a journalist I find the reporting of ZWD embarrassingly unethical. Some of the issues they bring up aregood, but they lose credibility when you sense the strong overtones of exeggerated venom. It is okay to criticize. It is not ok to exaggerate and sensationalize. I do abhor clamping down on press freedoms as much as I abhor the abuse of media to misinform and ferment disorder.
uleke ukwisapo bukkala bobe
who takes you there, if you dont like ZWD why go there,usefil id0!t
what about Fred M’membe’s?
Forment*
Whatever you meant you are a useless journalist.. caterpillar iwe
Sata and his band of f**ls will ultimately fail because ZWD can be run from abroad. I don’t read the Tonga publication, but I hate Sata’s idiocy more.
Correct 100%
I am actually shocked that highly trained journalists can be associated with the sick reporting which goes on at ZWD. This site LSK TIMES is not pro government but everyone can tell that you do quite a little bit to make your paper credible and balanced. ZWD is tottaly different. They will say anything not matter how dangerously untrue it maybe and will bloke any sense against their faecal information. It was not very difficult to predict that their stupid days were numbered. Why isnt LSK TIMES not being harrassed? In bemba we say ” MWIKALA PATALA MWINE APATALALIKA”. Meaning “HE WHO LIVES IN PEACE MUST CREATE THE PEACE HIMSELF”. I honestly do not see how that type of reporting can survive for long in Afrika and of what benefit such idiocy is to all of us. GRZ PLEASE CLOSE THAT LUNACY!
How long is it taking to moderate my comment?
That’s a tricky question my dear friend – it depends on your IQ and grammar.
Walasa mwana ZWD are dangerous lunatics They must keep them longer munyumba ya boma
You dont need to harass all the media just use one as an example as a warning to others. So LT should be very concerned as well.
High speed I agree with you. Darcey what to call post journalism? Chiwamila galu ka? Do into others pls.
I meant to say what do you call post style of journalism?
Ngakufililamusenga natufilile.ls that journalism from Evelyn Hone that zwd practices? That lacks ethics,full of hate ,tribalistic torn ,impatial,falsehood,slander etc. Sata never practiced this kind barberism that upnd u are doing .Grow up ba swin!
iwe chikaba…. you should sometimes think with head..ala!! are eating too much GMOs such that you thinking is on remote control..
Go and read Zambia intelligence news website,, and tell me that is journalism…
We all be prasing Sata … it wont be normal,,,galu ya katu
What does ngakufilila munsenga mean? am Bemba but dont know that word.
Cindy the phrase has been misused by Osmore. Its used in a situation where someone wants to unfair ly grab something valued mostly food from you. You refuse to hand it over and suffer the pain of seeing him eat your food so you had rather throw that wanted food into the sand. Now whoever wants to grab your food will have to eat it with the dirt
Reflection of the pro-Government press?
Thankx John, Geez that would be evil, who does that people do that?
Who ever insult the president insult the people of Zambia. Mind your language, stupid fool.
Not really. I don’t feel insulted at all when Sata is called names.
Good nite chaps sleep tight. Watchpig *****!
Worshiping Sata, wonder what the Lord feels about that!
What are the charges and do they have a lawyer? I think Ampster is free check him out.
What crime did ZWD commit? I don’t think this will go well.
Treason
@Nostradamus
“Treason” R U ok? If you are ok, please put your I.Q. switch to “ON”. Ops, there is no “I.Q” switch bicause there is no “I.Q”
ZWD asked for it,there reporting has been pathetic,full of hate,lies,frustrations,falsewoid and bitterness!!The ZWD is so irritating that most of their articles border on insults!!Letth
Yemwe mwalasafye ngapa kela! (you hit the nail on the head!)
How different is ZWD reporting to that of the Post Newspaper?
WHAT A BORING LIFE YOU LIVE!WHO INVITED YOU TO READ ZWD?GO READ THE PF NSHINDA PAPERS THE POST ,TIMES AND DAILY MAIL.OH,REMEMBER TO FLUSH WHEN YOU FINISH !
What about “objective” reporting by Post?
Equaliser is very right. Babachitafye bwino ba sokomuntu. Only drunks would support zwd
Zambians amaze me and for real! How can you rejoice in the unlawful detention of fellow citizens? What crimes have these galant individuals commited? I call them gallant because they have the strongest voices against the dictatorship that is growing in Zambia. You may not like what the ZWD publish but everyone has a choice and those that don’t like it, can keep away from it. The Post are pro-PF and so is the Times and Daily mail. We don’t wish for anyone there to be incarcerated but we simply stay away and let the gullible feed on their lies. ZWD is on the other extreme and have their own faults but most of their articles have elements of true and thats what is killing the PF with their vindictive approach.
However, they are simply building the ZWD to greater heights
Lungu is not supporting zwd
Lord Jesus help us. The government has nothing better to do,
the world has changed a lot, all this harassment is just giving the government a
bad record. and PF expect the world to continue helping us, pretty soon the
people giving us loans and donations will cut their funding since they don’t want
their money being used to mistreat people, in the end it’s the people who will suffer
punishment while those in government are enjoying themselves.
Only one night? That is not enough.
You can detain them, kill them etc but Zambian Watchdog has far reaching tentacles right into State House so you’re fighting a losing battle. PF, full of daft characters indeed.
Reporting such staff as the mentally retarded son of who and who, the solola MD of that company and a lot of other insults meant to slender opponents.ZWD went overboard.It was an online campaign paper not objective journalism.As much as freedom of expression is important but when it goes to hurt other people, it is not freedom of expression but pure hurt.Remember the Sun news paper of UK, it was closed because of the people it hurt through unethical reporting.Such as obtaining and reporting medical status of a prominent politician’s child.It went overboard and personally hurt individuals.Right now every journalist who worked for SUN is in court explaining how they even tapped phones of famous people. You need to draw a line of what is ethical and what is outrightly unethical.Good luck!
Closing of the Sun has nothing to do with reporting but was done bicause the ways it obtain information
My question is to all of you insulting the pipo who were arrested and detained. why should you judge them before the truth even comes out. for starters they are saying they are believed to be the ones heading ZWD not a known fact. wat then will you do wen you discover that it was mistaken identity. guys grow up and dont just support that useless old aged man with no brains you call a present. he should just concentrate on nursing himself. i wonder how chrissy feels to have such a husband.
Detained for what exactly? Are you aware that you are attracting negative attention by detaining journalists? Democracy does not end at free and fair elections, it means respecting all human rights.
Guys, those of you condemning the ZWD, what do you make of the Post before and even after 2011. Why are their journalists not being arrested? Because they are pro PF govt, anti-tonga and pro-bemba? If you are a party cadre you are not fit to comment on such, you better declare interest than showing your biasness publicly. We understand the VP he is a cadre, a politician that’s his job, he survives on it and so he will always be inclined. But for some of us lets be objective, as we judge ZWD let us also judge the Post – for cadres pls declare interest.
Why dont HH realese them since he is there Editor?
Sorry their Editor?
If that be the case, arrest the editor too, because he gives the word ‘Do’, rather go ahead publish, meaning he will publish more even in the absence of the other Two, in short, the problem is still intact, same as cutting the tree from the top leaving the roots, it will grow back in time.
ZWD reporting is childish and very immature. They are extremely biased and unprofessional. It was probably set up to carry out HH’s avowed desire to make Zambia ungovernable.
They have given the WATCH GALU even more strength