Malawi: Man Earns Conviction For Mocking President Chakwera

By Joseph Dumbula

A man has been convicted for posting a video casting Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera on social media platform TikTok.

The man identified as Sainani Nkhoma was found guilty by a court, which said he had posted the video and insulting comments about the president.

It is reported that he had later shared the link to the video on a community WhatsApp group, actions which the judge Talakwanji Mndala said were inapt.

Meanwhile, the judge has scheduled the sentencing in a week’s time, with the fine presumed to be around $3,500 or six years in prison.

The case comes two years after police arrested a nurse for allegedly used obscene and unprintable words against the head of state.

Earlier on rights bodies said they are deeply concerned with the rising cases of Police surveillance and interception of private conversations of citizens resulting in arbitrary arrests, prosecutions and convictions.

Malawi is a state party to both the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The statement also adds that the unlawful arrests of citizens, journalists and activists is a violation of section 21 on the right to privacy, section 34 on freedom of opinion, section 35 on freedom of expression, and section 36 on press freedom under the Malawi Constitution as well as the international law.