Malawi police charge journalists over EU team: On bail

Malawi Police have pressed charges to  journalist Golden Matonga of Nation Publications Limited and Zodiak Broadcasting Station staff Steven Zimba and Francis Chamosowa with ‘behaving in disorder manner’ contrary  to Sectuon 26 of the Aviation Act.

The journalists were arrested on Wednesday at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwed  for taking and trying  to take, photographs  at the airport’s Very Important Persons (VIP) section as European Union (EU) Election Observer Mission (EOM) delegation arrived in the country.

The mission was due to present its final report on the disputed May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections  but after intense resistance from some quarters  they have shelded the release.

Police held the journalists in a  cell within the airport for about an hour and a half and later released them on bail.

The journalists will appear in court on January 18 to answer the charges.

Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi chapter chairperson Tereza Ndanga  said the body is “worried” that authorities continue to “treat journalism as a crime.”