Muvi TV Journalist Njenje Chizu has narrated how he was beaten up and assaulted by police in Kasama for covering the opposition UPND.
Chizu who was released last evening revealed that he was punched by police officers who also broke his camera accusing him of having filmed UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and his Vice Geoffrey Mwamba at Radio Mano.
This was at a time that police officers stormed Radio Mano to stop the radio station from interviewing a scheduled interview with the two opposition leaders.
At the time they were arresting me, I had not filmed anything at the radio station. The officers saw me during the installation ceremony for Chief Mwamba earlier in the day and they knew I was assigned to cover the UPND by my office but when they saw me at the radio station, they picked me up and dragged me to the police station,” Njenje said.
He added, “At the station, I was assaulted me, beaten up, they also broke my camera lens and they were forcing me to sign the charge sheet and I refused because they wanted to charge me with conduct likely to breach the peace.”
“Now I don’t understand if filming has now become conduct likely to breach the peace,” he said.
Njenje said the police also refused to give him a medical report.
Police released Njenje after he was made to pay K50 as admission fee.
And Hakainde Hichilema has condemned the conduct of the police in Kasama.
“As you may be aware, we were slated to appear on a paid for radio program at radio Mano here in Kasama. However, the state police stormed the radio station and begun interrogating the officials on whether we had obtained a Police permit to appear on radio,” Mr Hichilema said.
Mr Hichilema said this is a clear indication of media clampdown by Mr Edgar Lungu and PF.
“Since when did one had to go and get a permit in order to appear on a radio station? However, this does not surprise us and nor should it surprise you because Mr Lungu is now deep rooted into dictatorship.”
“As though that was not enough, the state Police went further and arrested a Muvi TV Journalist while others had to run for their lives after Police threatened to shoot and beat them just at radio Mano premises. This is a sorry story for the media and indeed individuals as it is now clear that Mr Lungu has designed a way that no one should say anything,” he said.
“We understand that this Journalist (Njenje Chizu) and others were only doing their job but in turn police decided to arrest him with conduct likely to cause the breach of peace. As a peace loving party, we strongly condemn this arrest because it holds no water, in any case Journalists have rights to inform, educate and entertain us as they were trained to do so,” he said.
He added, “We wonder why Mr Edgar Lungu and his PF have taken this path of wanting to close up the media in the country. From our end, we believe in media freedom and therefore such acts make us wonder whether our country is still a democratic state or monarchy.”
“We wish to remind the country that this battle of stopping others from saying anything by Mr Edgar Lungu may today not only affect Journalists but tomorrow it will be any of you citizens out there. However, we stand ready to defend justice and democracy for the benefit of our country.”
Police should leave these innocent journalists alone, they’re merely doing their job. It’s acts like these which send a wrong picture about a country and they do scare away investors. They are also bad for tourism. I have said time and again, government must ignore HH and GBM. They may be loose canons at times, but a loose canon by definition don’t carry live ammunition. Govt should not be pre-occupied on how to fix the duo. Let us channel ALL our energies on fixing the economy. IGNORE THEM PLEASE.
Acts of intimidation and violence against journalists are an almost daily occurrence in dictatorship countries. Such government uses force to prevent journalists from doing their work and then tries to use the media regulatory bodies to justify its abuses.
A black man shouldn’t wear shoes
Why does he want to dress like a white man?
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Nothing but criminality! These are the things that tarnished KK’s image. People engaging in atrocities in the name of protecting the Presidency meanwhile the old man had not issued any orders authorizing evil acts.
And yet the Peace and Security Council of the African Union is coming into the country to heap praise on ECL and how peaceful him and his PF are, and congratulating him for his “re-election.” Are they aware that Zambia is now speedily hurtling towards a full blown dictatorship? Are they aware that Zambians now have started to live in fear, watching every word they say lest they offend ECL and his minions? The Police have now been reduced to the attack dog of the PF dictatorship. They beat people up with impunity. Police brutality is now the order of the day. There’s no more freedom of speech or freedom of the press within the borders of Zambia. Hope someone shows the coming AU group this photo about Njenje and his brutal beatings at the hands of these policemen, while Lungu and his…
(Continued)… buddies look the other way and pretend like everything is alright.
Don’t wait to be deprived of news before defending it!
Zambians are useless. be like South Africans who rise up and demand for Zuma to step down, rise up and demand for Lungu to step down. he is a violent
MPs should move a motion for Lungu to be impeached for being a violent cadre president. be like South Koreans
I have lost confidence in the African legal profession: its a fake profession. OR is it African lawyers who are fake? How can a country with a president who is a LAWYER be governed in the way Zambia is being governed? What happened to our democracy which we, the gallant people of this country, ushered in in 1991 after UNIP’s disastrous one party rule? What happened to freedom of speech and the press?
Lungu is a dirty brutal theif. His fraud conviction was no coincidence.
Blind and corrupt is all that Zambians have become. Remember when poverty creeps in you are at your weakest and thinking is least on your agenda. All you want is a little something in your pocket whatever conditions attached, clean or dirtry. That is what the majority Zambians have become. They don’t want to work because ‘kuti balyamo’; they can get a share! Get up and stand for your dignity Zambia and don’t be fooled- PF is a gang of deplorable s!
Zambians will only wake up after they are all dead.
True….The country is finished and it won’t be long before we end up like DRC or Zimbabwe
The Mungulu man at plot one was elected using violence and enjoys violence so brace yourself for the worst.
Zambians have become so useless that, they cannot differentiate between what is good and bad. Zambia itself has become a banana republic where politicians from the ruling party can say anything, do anything knowing that there would be no consequences. Zambians are worse than Zimbabweans and Malawians. Zambia has become a country where the abnormal has become normal and the people are very happy about.
We cant be tolerating such savage behaviour. This is a journalist not a terrorist. He only had a camera. Iam talking to Amnesty International to bring a case against the Zambian Police and government
Tomorrow ati lets go for national prayers, repentance and reconciliation. And we expect God to hear our prayers. Zambia, a paradoxical country with comfused leaders.
This is just police brutality at best it has nothing to do with ECL. Maybe the police where wrong by storming the radio station but what can the president do about it, NOTHING.
Because if he can then tell the police who to arrest and what to do where and when he would be the dictator that you people are alleging him to be, and that’s not the case here.
For all we can say police brutality has always been there, and the reason is not because the police is allegedely being run from state house. It’s because we have police officers who think they are the one responsible for justice. They forget (I’m sure they don’t know) that they are responsible only for the law.
Lets look at their past record (Zambia Police), they have never been the good guys. The only thing the govt can do is…
DOKOWE,WELL SAID MA BRO
Dokowe you have no brains. what’s between your ears has been replacef with what’s between your buttocks. A President cannot interfere in police work,although we know Lungu does, but it is his duty to stop human abuse by anyone, police included. That’s why Obama felt obliged to close Guantanamo. Lungu should be PROTECTING all citizens from savage actions such as torture. The police who are a state organ falling under the president must behave the way the presidential duty demands.
I said “what’s between your ears has been replaced with what’s between your batakoz”
@Dokowe,,,we know Lungu is involved and is responsible because he has made physical threats against the opposition in the past. He has threatened to use the police against the opposition, especially during and just before the election. Secondly, what these police are doing is clearly open police brutality, recognized internationally as an illegal act which violates human rights. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? And even after having been proven guilty, who says then the police have a right to kick you around like a football? If what happened to Njenje happened say in the USA, the police would be sued and the city would end up paying a lot of money for it. But that can’t happen in Zambia because the cops know they have the backing of the whole government. Lungu being a…
(Continued)… lawyer himself knows that this is wrong. But he says nothing. Obama has been condemning police brutality in the USA. That’s the difference. But Lungu never utters a word, which makes us believe that he likes it and wants it that way.
Only sensible contribution here!!!
The president is a head of state and he can call for investigation and have these policemen brought to book. Police or not they broke the law of Zambia. Lungu, a Lawyer by profession knows better. These police were working under the guidance of Lungu and his office
Wow – things are getting hectic. So it is either prayers or the police it seems. What a mess…
@Kalok, I have said it before that God is not hearing Lungu’s prayers and the prayers of Christians for Lungu. like the Jihadists, anyone who is not for Lungu and PF is an enemy according to the jihad PF police and jihad PF cadres
Voice of reason…..
I am sorry It is you who has become useless not me… exclude me please..
He added, “At the station, I was assaulted me, beaten up, they also broke my camera lens and they were forcing me to sign the charge sheet and I refused because they wanted to charge me with conduct likely to breach the peace.”
I WAS ASSAULTED ME BY THE PF POLICE CADRES…
Comment:now the armagedonists are claiming for peace? what do they expect when they threatened the state with armaggedon after elections? burning markets,houses in Namwala? fire for fire. too bad for the lowly paid journalists who are victims and pawns on the armaggedon board.
Comment:njenje sorry monko,Steve UPND nyirenda used you as a pawn just like he used his wife by telling her to bite off an officers testicle,until she was also wired nicely, so walakosa fye kaili you re on the other camp,elo in job yobe.
The dogs have transformed the ZP into a Zambia Confrontational Dogs. That is what you get when you impose yourself on the people.
HH should be the last person to pronounce lack of democracy as he has never been voted into the position he is holding and has been victimizing those with analytical ideas in his party. What he did to Dokota Banda speaks volumes on lack of democracy and indeed lack of respect for individuals. HH has not even said a word against those behind torching of various places and those that he had removed from “His” land without care. Is this the man to judge others?
dununa reverse
Do unto others as you would like them do to you Mathew 7 v12: ZP are doing what will happen to them on the day of judgment: We will see who will be strong between the Angels of God and Zambia Police Force. It Is very near and very soon. There are some Police men who are very good and humble, please advice those who think they are superior in what they do to be ready for that day. Njenje get well soon.
This is what you wanted ba PF
We’ll suffer together till 2021. Most of you youth you just go by the wind. Especially Bembas who eat monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees and gorillas. They are swept by the wind no direction.
Mr Lungu Edgar sir while we fully comprehend that power is sweet and we are aware that you are moving from rags to riches .Which you cant let go at all costs. But days are numbered for you if only you embrace the dictatorship ideologies under the tutorage of a dreaded dictator in the name of KK .I know you cant accept these allegations but deep down your heart you know .With these ideologies of dictatorship come rain come shine .You won’t succeed . Give people freedom please and you will be a fountain of hope and abeacon of peace as opposed to this style of leadership you are toralating .If sata was alive he would’t have toralated this trash we are seeing today .Sir be a man face reality with zeal .What you are portraying is sheer cowardise and malice .Only a stubborn fly follows the…
It’s a matter of time.. Zambians will one day rise against the illiterate police. Kampyongo will put this country on FIRE IF HE IS NOT CAREFUL AND HE MUST NOT BE MISTAKEN THAT POLICE CAN CONTAIN THE UPRISING!! You wait and see. ‘Akanyelele nga bakapatikisha kalasuma’
Comments; Let God come we are tired of these political issues were by there is no freedom.we are going back to dictatorship and this country will soon be like Zimbabwe.ba journalist u are at risk no proper working condition.k Aya.only ZNBC is the media in our country.u other media’s prepare to join us.Even this guys how much do they get paid for them to do silly things.ba police wakeup
God has nothing do with this…! Just stop hating each other
Comment:police officers you make me wonder! during training are u told to follow blindly?u are the least in terms of salary and the most mis used and ignorance all over.instead of troubling innocent souls why can’t you boycott over the lowest salaries of yours.nowader u do forensic psychology you are not able to reason well.be critical and analytical.
BEING A SON OF A POLICEMAN MYSELF, I HAVE KNOWN POLICE OFFICERS TO BE AMONG PEOPLE WHO ARE SO SCARED OF THE LAW. WHEN U SEE OFFICERS ACTING IN A MANNER LIKE THIS, JUST KNOW THEY ARE NOT DOING IT BY THEMSELVES BUT SIMPLY FOLLOWING ORDERS AND ARE GUARANTEED OF PROTECTION SHOULD THINGS BACKFIRE
AM AFRAID FOR THE DEMOCRACY CHILUBA INTRODUCED! I CANT BELIEVE A PARTY THAT WON ELECTIONS CAN BE SO PARANOID AS TO BECOME BRUTAL. HAVE THEY FORGOTTEN EVERYTHING HAS AN ENDING? WILL THEY PROTEST WHEN THEY ARE FINALLY BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE ATROCITIES?
This is the same news blog that supported PF during elections. Ba LT what is your position?
Lusaka Times was behind Lungu and PF and today they are writing and reporting as if they care one ounce..! Your sick media caused hatred and malice in the country
That is what happen when a person is a coward. Sue those stupid policemen