Country Reports Snapshots in 2023, they almost doubled, with 41 cases recorded. The highest number of incidents were those bordering on threats to media freedom, at 19. The second highest number of violations involved eight (8) cases related to freedom of expression. MISA Zambia recorded seven (7) cases of assaults, while five (5) cases involved censorship. Two detention cases were also recorded. During the year under review, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), on August 22, summoned the management of KBN TV to implement an idea to feature presidential hopefuls from different political parties on a programme called the Presidential News Desk. During the programme, presidential hopefuls took turns to anchor the Friday news edition. KBN TV was cited for breaching the Standard Operation Procedure clause 5.2.1.3, which allowed politicians to anchor the news on the TV station. KBN TV, through their legal representative, Linda Kasonde, requested to be allowed to respond to the matter through written and oral submissions. Freelance journalist Jaja Komoko was arrested on August 25 and charged with libel. He was later released on police bond (bail). He was charged with libel for contravening Section 191 of the Penal Code Act Chapter 87. The offence is alleged to have occurred between July 2022 and July 2023. Acts of censorship remain rife. One such incident involved a journalist who went to report on people purchasing cheap maize meal at a Zambia National Service (ZNS) milling plant on August 14. It is alleged that a ZNS officer harassed News Diggers reporter Chamuka Shalubala and forced him to delete pictures that he took of people 40 queuing for the staple food. The incident occurred when scores of Lusaka residents trooped to the ZNS milling plant in Silverest for a chance to purchase the commodity that was in short supply. The residents started queuing as early as 6 a.m. However, the officers on duty forced the reporter to delete the images he had captured on his camera. He was informed he could not take pictures without permission from the state security wing. The journalist was released only after the officer confirmed that the pictures had been deleted. Mpongwe FM also suffered an act of censorship after Mpongwe Member of Parliament (MP) Gregory Ngowani’s wife, Cleopatra Shiyenge Ngowani, stormed the radio station on September 24 and went on a rampage against anyone who dared to stop her from entering the on-air booth so she could confront an aspiring legislator for the area in the last election. Kasambo had reportedly paid for radio airtime to voice his concerns over the alleged abuse of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by the local legislators. Some family members who accompanied the MP’s wife also threatened to deal with the programme’s presenter and threatened to destroy the radio station. As if the above incidents were not enough, IBA issued UNZA Radio with a two-day ultimatum to put adequate measures in place to prevent guests from using what it termed as derogatory language on air. On September 23, UNZA Radio aired a live programme where its guest charged that the government communications system was moribund and just as useless as the opposition. www.misa.org