SECTOR 1 The attack on people who had assembled peacefully in the Bible Gospel Outreach Church in Africa (BIGOCA) in Matero to express their views on the food subsidies has had particularly chilling effects because the assault took place in a church. “No one was held accountable for these attacks on citizens and journalists,” and the PF distanced itself from those deemed responsible. Another example relates to a song which criticises the president about having promised certain things, but not having delivered. “We heard that song on radio once or twice, and then heard that the artist was arrested and the song banned.”5 “There is diminishing space for citizens to discuss openly and freely”, and “even political parties can’t meet freely”. The level at which people, including journalists, express themselves is often dependent on the media platform being used. One panellist stated that although people freely express themselves in the blogosphere, access to online media is limited. “If you go to the bloggers, people can tell you what they think!” However, “the fact that they (bloggers) go anonymous says a lot” about the fear that people face in expressing themselves openly. There are journalists who express themselves more candidly and openly via blogs, than they do in their mainstream media jobs. A clamp down on online media practitioners has also taken place. Following the arrest of a journalist who was publishing online, the Bloggers’ Network decided to show solidarity, and undertook the cumbersome process of attaining a permit to hold an event to demonstrate this arrest. Only six people came to support the demonstration, which attracted an additional six security personnel who questioned the demonstrators. Often, the perpetrators of attacks on journalists and citizens are known, but they are not dealt with by the law. “As long as no action is taken against perpetrators, there will be fear.” The Press Association of Zambia (PAZ) wrote several letters to the Ministry of Home Affairs requesting that it act against the perpetrators of the Kanyama incident6, but to date, no action has been taken. Other incidents cited in these letters included the beating up of people at BIGOCA, and an incident at the community station Radio Free in Chipata, where a man was “pulled out of a live talk-show because of his criticism of government”. Notable forms of intimidation against the media include statements made by “permanent secretaries or ministers who say things like ‘we are going to close 5 6 In 2008, Zambian artist Maiko Zulu’s song ‘Mad President’ was banned on radio for its critical content. (http:// freemuse.org/archives/1260) On 9 September 2012, a Post newspaper photojournalist Salim Dawood was beaten by suspected ruling Patriotic Front (PF) political party supporters in Lusaka’s Kanyama Township as he tried to photograph them. (http://www.misa. org/component/k2/item/1742-zambia-suspected-ruling-party-supporters-clobber-journalists-civil-society AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2013 15