Journalist detained for covering opposition protest

A Journalist working for a local private owned Television has been detained in the Zambian capital, reports Martha Banda.

Namo Phiri who works for a television called Millennium TV is among the people detained following a peaceful protest in Lusaka on Friday. Her Organisation has confirmed her arrest and that she is being held in police cells at Lusaka Central Police station.

She was arrested as she was covering a peaceful protest by opposition political parties and some Civil Right Activist who were denouncing the Ndola-Lusaka dual carriage way concession deal signed by the UPND Administration.

Local reports are that  armed Police in riot gear rounded up a youthful little known opposition leader Kasonde Mwenda who heads a political party called Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Kasonde led a group of protesters at the capital’s local authority headquarters.

According to Millennium TV, the Protestors were seen carrying placards denouncing government on the deal signed in the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way including the recently held gay march-past in Lusaka.

Zambia has experienced a number of arrests that threatens freedom of speech and assembly in the 18 months of the Hakainde Hichilema administration which himself denounced while in opposition.