Zambian treason case involves Zimbabwean journalist and ZBC documentary
via NewsDay Zimbabwe7 min read
A Zimbabwean journalist has been implicated in an espionage trial against Zambian opposition leader Fred M'membe. The case centers on a documentary produced by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation ZBC titled "The Grand Regional Scheme: How Foreign Powers and Local Elites are Destroying Africa Part 1." Testimony in the High Court of Zambia revealed that no official accreditation was granted for the Zimbabwean journalist to work in Zambia. Rosaria Lubumbashi, editor-in-chief of the Zambia News and Information Services Zanis, stated that Zanis has no record of an application for accreditation from the journalist or for the documentary. The documentary, broadcast in September 2023, featured interviews with Zambian opposition figures, including M'membe, and criticized the appointment of Nevers Mumba as chairperson of the SADC election observer mission to Zimbabwe. M'membe and four other politicians who appeared in the documentary were arrested on November 15, 2023, and charged under Zambia's State Security Act for communicating information "intended to be directly or indirectly useful to a foreign power," specifically Zimbabwe. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment with hard labor. M'membe has pleaded not guilty to the espionage charge.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by NewsDay Zimbabwe.
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