Posts Tagged ‘Malawi’
June 1st, 2012
A vote in the
Malawi Parliament has led to the
repeal of an amendment to the country’s penal code which banned any news “not in the public interest”. Though amendment to Article 46 of the penal code was introduced
in 2010, and was passed last year, it was never implemented after challenges from press freedom groups. The sweeping amendment would have allowed the government to ban anything deemed not to be in the public interest for an unspecified amount of time. Only one member of parliament voted against the repeal.
May 30th, 2012
A journalist has been
arrested in
Malawi for writing an article on a same-sex engagement ceremony. Clement Chinoko, who works for Blantyre Newspapers Limited, was arrested on 26 May after an article appeared in the Malawi’s Sunday Times on 20 May detailing the engagement of two women in the southern city of Blantyre. The journalist has been charged with ”conduct likely to cause breach of peace” and police spokesman Nicholas Gondwa has claimed the article is a fake. Chinoko has not yet been taken to court or been released on bail.
Earlier this month, Malawi’s President Joyce Banda announced plans to repeal the country’s laws against homosexuality.
December 20th, 2011
A playwright has been arrested
whilst performing a play which was deemed critical of the government in
Malawi. Thlupego Chisiza was arrested on Sunday after armed police stormed the Lions Theater in Blantyre, where he was performing the play SEMO. The play, which was co-written by student activist
Robert Chasowa, who died in mysterious circumstances, criticises the governments handling of laws which are believed to have regressed the country back to dictatorship. The authorities claimed Chisiza failed to send the play to the board of classification for vetting, which the playwright denies.
August 10th, 2011
President Mutharika is using controversial methods to quash Malawi’s opposition. Santorri Chamley reports
(more…)
July 25th, 2011
Reporters Without Borders has revealed several journalists covering Malawi’s recent
protests have been beaten and detained, while the government has banned radio stations from covering the demonstrations. The protests were in place to express anger against fuel shortages, price hikes and a general decline in the economy, as well as to call for more democratic governance.
November 2nd, 2010
Authorities in Malawi have
banned a weekly tabloid newspaper for not registering. The ruling comes a year after The Weekend Times published its first edition. The newspaper, renowned for its sensationalist reporting on scandalous stories about politicians and celebrities, is published by Blantyre Newspapers Ltd, a company owned by the family of former dictator Kamuzu Banda. Three months ago, President Bingu we Mutharika
threatened to shut down newspapers deemed to have lied that one million Malawians will need food aid.
February 4th, 2010
Peter Sawali was arrested in Blantyre on 3 February for putting up posters saying ‘Gay rights are human rights’. He was charged with ‘conduct likely to cause a breach of peace’ and could face up to three months in prison. A police spokesman
Dave Chingwalu said “We cannot rule out international sponsors because of the quality and the quantity of the posters.”
