Politics have returned a laptop and mobile phone which they confiscated from Platform for Investigative Journalism executive director Gregory Gondwe following intense pressure from US and UK governments as well as media and rights activists.
Gondwe was picked by police on Tuesday and spent hours at South-West Region Police Headquarters in Blantyre before he was released after heavy criticism.
Meanwhile, Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) says in a statement, they have instituted an investigation to find out how Gondwe was arrested and treated while in the hands of the police.
Gregory Gondwe: vows to continue with publishing truth
The statement further says, they also want to investigate the circumstances leading to his release.
“The Commission is closely monitoring the circumstances surrounding this case to guard against unwarranted interference with the freedom of the press and the right to privacy in terms of section 36 and 21 of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi.
“The tenents of our democratic Constitution requires a strict adherence to protection of human rights and the rule of law,” reads the statement in part.
The Political Science Association (PSA) has also issued a statement calling on government to desist from attempts to muzzle the media saying it should instead be working on dealing with corruption.
Reads part of the statement: “We further remind the regime that confidentiality of news sources – particularly in public interest – is paramount and critical to the smooth working of the media, and it is as such unethical to force a journalist to reveal their sources of information.
“Instead of embarking on a systematic arrest of journalists and regime critics, we urge the Tonse Alliance Government to be preoccupied with governing in order to deal with the organized axis of evil that is corruption involving some public servants, businesses and politicians who continue to collude to plunder public resources for private gain and unjust enrichment at the expense of poor Malawians.’’
