Rights body Cedep alerts UN over Malawi’s suppression of media freedom

A vocal human rights organisation, Centre for the Development of People (Cedep) has alerted the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)  in Geneva, Switzerland that Malawi government  is muzzling the media freedom.

In the alert sent to OHCHR,  Cedep executive director Gift Trapence  informed  that government through the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) is making attempt to suppress media freedom and suffocate private news organisations.

“As you might recall, in September this year, we sent to your office different issues of human rights violations in Malawi. Among those issues raised was the suppression of press and media freedom by the government the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority.

“The issues of suppression of press and media freedom have resurfaced  in Malawi and all caution has been thrown to the wind in as far as safeguarding press and media freedom is concerned,” reads part of the alert by Trapence.

He informed UN that Malawi government is forcing news organisations to have certain programmes on electronic media  and columns in print and online media to be removed from their schedules when they are critical to the government.

Cedep has asked OHCHR to place a special focus on Malawi to improve its compliance with international human rights conventions.

The organisation said it also want Malawi to protect human rights defenders, journalists, political activists and academicians as enshrined in the constitution and international conventions on human rights to which it is signatory to.

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