The journalists said they had filed a complaint against members of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) for beating them on Friday as they waited for Banda to arrive at Lusaka international airport from Uganda.
Two of the reporters, Chibaula Silwamba of the privately owned Post – a newspaper critical of Banda – and Anthony Mulowa of the government-controlled Times of Zambia, told AFP that police had opened a file on the case.
The third journalist beaten up was Richard Mulonga, a photographer for the Times of Zambia, they said. Having filed their complaint, they expected to meet with a Lusaka police commander on Monday.
The speaker of the National Assembly, Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, on Friday asked the minister for information and broadcasting, Ronnie Shikapwasha, to issue a ministerial statement in parliament next week.
“I ask the minister of information to come and tell us what the conflict is between the media and the cadres of a particular party”, Mwanamwambwa said.
The local president of the Zambia Union of Journalists in Lusaka, Bob Sianjalika, on Saturday told AFP that if MMD members continued harassing journalists, the union would tell its members to stop covering President Banda.
“It is clear that our members are only beaten when they cover the president, so to guarantee their safety we will direct them to stay away. The government should do something now”, Sianjalika said.
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