President Lungu directs Zambia Police to immediately arrest suspected PF cadres who attacked Journalists

President Edgar Lungu has given orders for the Police to immediately arrest suspected PF cadres who attacked journalists at Power FM in Kabwe and Radio Maria in Chipata Eastern Province.

The special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda said that President Edgar Lungu was disappointed with the silence by the police and their failing to take action on the people that attacked Power FM and Radio Maria in Central and Eastern provinces respectively.

Speaking at media briefing at State House in Lusaka yesterday, Mr. Chanda said President Lungu is a strong advocate of media and press freedom and that anyone found bleaching the law should be brought to book and allow the due process of the law to take its course.

Mr Chanda said that President Lungu noted with disappointment that the barbaric acts are a complete departure from the principles and values of the Patriotic Front and government in general.

He explained that what happened to the two radio stations is a clear violation of the freedom of the media and harassment of journalists which should not be allowed.

Mr. Chanda disclosed that to this effect the head of state is wondering to who is preventing the police and why they cannot act to prevent such criminal activities and wondered why the Inspector General of Police has to wait for instructions from State House to correct a wrong committed in the name of the PF.

” The President is disappointed with failure by the Police to act on visible breaches of the law by some members of the Public including patriotic Front cadres,” Mr Chanda said.

He said Police are expected to act and must be seen to be doing their duty whenever the law if breached by anyone regardless of the political affiliation.

The President observed with disappointment that the acts of violence are being committed in the name of the Patriotic Front without the Police acting even when cadres take the law in their own hands and described the recent attacks on media houses by suspected Patriotic Front cadres as an unacceptable and disappointing ,and has called on the police to arrest the perpetrators of the violence.

Recently same suspected PF cadres stormed Power FM and radio Maria and disrupted proceedings of interviews.