STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA 9.0 Appendix His Excellency, Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu President of the Republic of Zambia State House, LUSAKA RE: Appeal for the pardoning of Comrade Derrick Sinjela Greetings Your Excellency, My name is Dawood Salim, a freelance Zambian journalist based in Lusaka. Your Excellency, I write to you in my personal and individual capacity to echo calls already made by fellow journalists, media bodies and other interested parties that have beseeched you to invoke your discretion on the prerogative of mercy as President of the Republic of Zambia and pardon our jailed colleague Derrick Sinjela, Editor of The Rainbow Newspaper. As you may be aware, Your Excellency, Comrade Sinjela was on December 20, 2018 sentenced to 18 Months imprisonment after pleading guilty to contempt of court. Sir, I have been particularly affected, saddened and depressed about Comrade Sinjela’s jailing because he was instrumental in moulding my journalism career which began some 12 years ago. Your Excellency, in the years I have known Comrade Sinjela, he has helped mould and mentor scores of young journalists and has always been passionate about providing a platform for ordinary Zambians to speak about the different issues that affect them. Sir, his jailing has robbed the media industry of an experienced media practitioner, a media freedoms campaigner and mentor to many upcoming scribes of the industry. Your Excellency, I visited Comrade Sinjela at Lusaka Central Prison last Sunday and I will not belabour to talk about the congestion and difficulties that he and other inmates have to endure in our prisons. 32