Event Summary
On 25 August 2025, journalist Thandizo Banda from The Mast newspaper was arrested and detained for three hours at Chowa Police Station in Zambia after photographing a vehicle transporting Electoral Commission Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, who was visiting her daughter held on murder charges. Banda was released only after paying an admission of guilt fine. The following day, the Zambia Police Service issued a statement describing the incident as a “brief detention” and alleging that Banda attempted to force entry into an office—an account that contradicts eyewitness reports and civil society sources, which affirm that Banda was simply performing his professional duties in a public space. The incident has sparked concern among media and civil society actors, who have publicly criticized the arrest and the police’s narrative as part of a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation against journalists. The criminalization of routine news-gathering, especially when it involves politically sensitive figures, signals a deteriorating environment for press freedom in Zambia. This event undermines key principles of the enabling environment for civil society—freedom of expression. There is a growing risk of normalization of arrests and fines as tools to intimidate journalists. The chilling effect of such actions discourages investigative journalism and weakens public accountability, particularly in the lead-up to national elections. Without safeguards to protect journalists from arbitrary enforcement, the space for independent media and civic engagement risks further erosion.