STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT QUARTER 3. 2020 The Zambia Institute of Independent Media Alliance (ZIIMA) would like to challenge the Zambia police service to arrest a traceable perpetrator of media attacks who happens to be a District Commissioner in Petauke. It is sad that in this time and era, officers from the police service who were used to close down PASME FM in Petauke district Eastern province at the orders of a civil servant do not even understand the law but ignorantly act on political instructions. As a media body that is thriving to promote media freedoms, we are shocked that civil servants under the current leadership go unpunished despite committing crimes, the latest ones being the Petauke and Mwinilunga DC who also blocked well-wishers from donating. We want to remind the head of state that the continued uncouth behavior of his appointees will not stop until he cracks a whip, failure to do so will cement our view that they have his blessings. We would also like to challenge the police command who have been making blanket statements on unprofessional cops to discipline the two officers who were used to close down a media house that was airing a paid for radio program. Media houses are operating under harsh economic conditions with the coming of Covid-19 and blocking a source of income for the radio station is totally shameful and evil. ZIIMA would also like to urge the radio station to take up this matter and exhaust all legal avenues to send a clear message to would be perpetrators. Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Zambia Police a few days after the attack on Mafken Radio in Mufulira, Inspector General, Kakoma Kanganja sternly warned political party cadres against the vice, stating in part that: “the growing trend of thugs attacking radio stations under the guise of politics is criminal and should come to an end forthwith… any person who may feel offended by the content of any interview should follow the due process of the law by 11