REPRESSIVE REGIMES HATE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS
By Joseph Kayira | 8 February 2024
In 2022, veteran journalist Gregory Gondwe was invited to South West Region Police Headquarters in Blantyre for what the police said was an interview on the ongoing investigations police were conducting regarding an online news story published by Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) and other related issues. It was not an interview; it turned out to be an interrogation. He was at the police for hours and only gained his freedom around 5:00 pm. Police impounded his equipment such as a laptop and mobile phone.
Someone senior in government apologized for Gregory Gondwe’s arrest when it became clear that he was behind the journalist’s arrest. Malawi’s development partners, the United States and the United Kingdom issued a statement condemning the arrest, further expressing concern over the conduct of police to raid the offices of PIJ, where Gondwe works.
“We note that he now has been released but call for the immediate return of the confiscated equipment and respect for privacy of any information contained therein. A free media is one of the pillars of democracy,” read the statement in part.
The belief is that good journalism unearths the dirt, corruption and fights for good governance the world over. In Malawi good journalism is the reason the Cashgate scandal was unearthed, it is the reason constitutionalism is still on course. But there are people, especially those who hold public positions, who think journalism is a curse; they think the world is a better place without scribes. Without mincing words those who believe in this line of thinking are daft. They should never hold positions in the public sector. As long as they survive on tax payers’ money they are answerable to the public. That is why corruption is a subject of interest in journalism. It is the reason those who believe in good governance will always fight it to the end.
That is why people like Gregory Gondwe and those who believe in good governance must be protected. They must be supported so that investigative journalism can thrive. From 1994 to date, there have been people in authority who connive with corrupt businesspersons to defraud government of billions of taxpayers’ money. Civil servants, politicians and businesspersons have been arrested for stealing public funds. These are the people who hate investigative journalism. These are few individuals who dent the good image of patriotic citizens who mean well for this country. They care about the condition of our bad roads. They also care about children who are still learning under trees almost 60 years after independence. They also feel bad about women who deliver on road sides on their way to hospitals which are miles away. These are Malawians who know that there is no other country they can call home other than Malawi. So, stealing from public coffers means shooting oneself in the foot. It's foolish.
Yet we have people who have no conscience. All they think about is money. Well, it’s not wrong to think about money when the thinking is legitimate. It is very wrong to think about money when it borders on stealing from government. That is why when Gregory Gondwe started publishing stories about one businessman who is suspected to have accumulated his wealth from dubious deals with the state, some individuals in government felt uncomfortable. They are the people who are baying for Gondwe’s blood. It is so sad that people from the army and the police should be threatening journalists in this day and era. Are we degenerating into a dictatorship once again where the police would wake up and make arbitrary arrests in the name of state security?
Why do we glorify evil so much in this country? Why are some people in the army, the police and civil service so much afraid of Gregory Gondwe and the stories he is publishing if their hands are clean? Should the country’s security organs threaten, intimidate and silence journalists for doing their work? Should journalists sit back and watch as the country degenerate into lawlessness because some hot heads in the army and police will come by and lock them up? Journalism is a noble profession. Journalism is not a crime. It should never be seen or regarded as a crime. Those with evil minds hate journalism because they want to hide their evil deeds. But come rain come shine, journalism will strive; investigate journalism will unearth the dirt and help to bring to book the corrupt.
Stop the harassment
The last time Gregory Gondwe was summoned to police, former minister of information Gospel Kazako said: “This is not the personality and character of this administration to intimidate or create uncomfortable environment for journalists. We are a known beneficiary of free press. So, I have engaged my colleague the Minister of Homeland Security to ensure a common platform that will reflect the DNA of this government, which is respecting the set freedoms and laws governing provided spaces which different disciplines and citizens enjoy.”
They were words of encouragement. They inspired hope. But that hope was shattered and disappeared as soon as it came. Arrests have been made in a manner that reminds us of days of death darkness. The other day, the director general of the Anti-Corruption Bureau was arrested under circumstances that reeked of a police state. That should not be happening in a democracy. You surely would pardon those who think this administration seems to be backsliding on its policies, including media freedoms. Journalists have been arrested and harassed for doing their job. It reflects bad governance. It also reflects failure to uphold rule of law.
That is why institutions such as the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) must be applauded for condemning threats to press freedom. In a press statement the Commission condemned any threats directed towards journalists. It said international conventions to fight corruption, both in the United Nations system and regional systems, include rules that encourage States to adopt laws that facilitate the reporting of corruption when public officials become aware of them in the scope of their work. MHRC said media provides information on public sector corruption where governmental activity is opaque by design or by default. The media, and in particular investigative journalism, plays a crucial role in exposing corruption to public scrutiny and fighting against impunity.
“Press freedom is a fundamental right that allows journalists and media organizations to report and communicate information without censorship or interference from the government or other entities. Needless to say, the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi which is the supreme law of the land provides under section 36 that: the press shall have the right to report and publish freely, within Malawi and abroad and to be accorded the fullest possible facilities for access to public information.
“The freedom accorded to journalists and other people in the media, allows for a space where public functionaries are held accountable and this helps to facilitate public disclosure and safeguard democracy in the long run. Freedom of the press is a prerequisite for good governance because it serves as a check on potential abuses of power and helps to uncover wrongdoing. Malawi subscribes to international human rights instruments that promote media freedom. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: everyone has a right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impact information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers,” the MHRC statement said.
MISA Malawi said it is deeply concerned with threats on Gondwe. It said Gondwe is currently in hiding, on advice from military sources, following his expose’ on the payments that Malawi Defence Force (MDF) made to businessman Zuneth Sattar, a fraud suspect under the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe.
Earlier Gondwe wrote on his Facebook page that: “This isn't just about legal threats, which I was prepared to face head-on. Yesterday, top government officials confirmed that the MDF intended to ‘arrest’ me for allegedly ‘endangering state security’—a vague and ominous accusation. Given the potential for my situation to be 'accidentalised' with a seemingly plausible explanation posthumously, I've heeded the advice to protect myself. In this line of work, death can be disguised as an accident, and no hospital can revive a life once lost.”
MISA Malawi said it engaged the Army Commander General, Paul Velentino Phiri and the Attorney General, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda on the matter who have assured it that there are no plans to arrest Gondwe or intimidate him for writing the story.
“We hope and trust that these assurances are true and sincere. We would like to remind government bodies and all citizens that threats on journalists are retrogressive and a threat to democracy. We believe that if MDF or any other concerned parties have an issue with the media, they should use proper channels to raise such issues, but military interrogations and threats are not among those channels,” MISA Malawi said in a statement.
It added that “The threats on Gondwe’s life have a chilling effect on journalists and the media fraternity. As a democracy, Malawi should not slide back to the era of heavy-handedness on media and critical voices. We will continue engaging the leadership at MDF and the office of the Attorney General to ensure the safety of Gondwe and a free and conducive media operating environment.”
We believe in democracy
In 1993, we chose multiparty politics. We chose democracy over autocracy. We were oppressed for 30 years. We do not want to gown that path again. Those who want to smuggle autocracy into democracy will not succeed. Media freedoms are not negotiable. Obviously, those who hate journalism do not believe in democracy. Those who are fighting Gregory Gondwe believe in death and darkness. They are oppressors. They should not be trusted with handling operations of the state.
Equally, the police should carry out thorough investigations into threats on journalists and bring to book people who blight our democracy. Nobody has the mandate to silence the media. Those issuing threats to journalists in the name of state security are living in the past. They should not get away with impunity. They should face the long arm of the law. In fact, they should be told that this country thrives on constitutionalism. Malawi is not governed by statutes that trample upon people’s rights. Is there a law that gives a security organ powers to silence journalists? Which part of the republican constitution bars journalists from reporting anything to do with the army? Which law did Gregory Gondwe break?
Gregory Gondwe and the rest of journalists need protection from state organs that threaten the future of good journalism. The Tonse Alliance administration must issue a statement on the matter; those in power must explain why some state agencies want to take Malawi back to dictatorship. Is this democracy? Malawi must never deteriorate into a police state.
If Gregory Gondwe gets harmed, the world knows who to point fingers at. And if journalism gets attacked Malawians now know who to blame. Repressive regimes have a tendency of jailing journalists to silence trustworthy information.
Worldwide the statics on how governments treat journalists are becoming increasingly shocking. A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) , says there were 320 journalists in jail worldwide as of 1 December 2023. This is the second-highest number of journalists in jail since CPJ began keeping records more than 30 years ago. It is an unacceptable number and a testament to the perceived threat trustworthy information poses to autocrats around the world.
CPJ says the top offenders are notoriously repressive regimes that normally rank high on the list: three years after the military overthrew the democratically-elected government in a coup, Myanmar has 43 journalists in jail. This is only one less than China, which tops the list.
According to CPJ, Israel has climbed up the list and now ranks sixth with 17 Palestinian journalists behind bars – the same number of journalists currently jailed in Iran. This is also the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since CPJ began documenting arrests in 1992. The country has seriously ramped up the arrests and incarcerations of Palestinian journalists since October, which speaks volumes of the current state of press freedom in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Fourteen of the Palestinian journalists in CPJ’s report are being held in administrative detention, meaning they’re detained without any charges presented to them, and that their imprisonment can be extended over and over again by the Israeli military courts without having to disclose any evidence.
Jesper Højberg, CPJ executive director says while these revelations are shocking, the report shows them to be part of a trend in which repressive regimes continue to aggressively silence free and independent media by jailing and prosecuting journalists. CPJ calls the 2023 numbers “a disturbing barometer of entrenched authoritarianism and the vitriol of governments determined to smother independent voices.”
“It is not just reporting from war zones that poses a threat to authoritarians; trustworthy reporting is especially vital as more than 40 countries will hold elections this year. It is thus crucial to try and secure journalists’ ability to freely and independently report without the threat of arrest or persecution. We cannot allow governments to use law enforcement and judicial systems to avoid criticism and public accountability. In Palestine, Myanmar and in the rest world, journalists must be able to do their jobs freely for the benefit of the public,” Højberg says.
For Malawi, human rights defenders must not lose strength and momentum. They must take to task ministries, departments and agencies that threaten democracy. They must decisively deal with those that are bent on frustrating democracy. As the country heads towards elections, such threatens could increase. Repressive regimes have no room in democracy. Malawi should not reach the levels of countries that have no respect for the rule of law. Let journalism thrive. Let Gregory Gondwe practice his journalism independently. His passion is investigative journalism.
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