CATHOLIC BISHOPS OPPOSE PROPOSED PENAL CODE AMENDMENT TO STIFFEN PUNISHMENT FOR H@TRED, RID!CULE

CATHOLIC BISHOPS OPPOSE PROPOSED PENAL CODE AMENDMENT TO STIFFEN PUNISHMENT FOR H@TRED, RID!CULE

The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops ZCCB has strongly opposed the Penal Code Amendment Bill Number 17 of 2024, which seeks to make two amendments to section 70 of the penal code act.

The Bishops are urging the government to withdraw the bill for further consultation, citing concerns that it is too vague, broad, and open to abuse.

In their recent statement, the Bishops specifically rejected the proposed amendments to Section 70, which seek to expand the grounds for h@tred, r!d!cule, or contempt to include ethn!c!ty, and rel!g!on.

They also objected to the extension of jail terms for those convicted of the offence of expressing or showing h@tred, r!d!cule or contempt, from two to between seven and  twenty years, arguing that this could undermine freedom of expression and target mostly critics and political opponents.

“If passed, the proposed changes would eliminate political debate and legitimate criticism of government actions or policies, and amount to passing a death sentence on our democratic rights such as free speech. As wel as withdrawing the current Bill”, the statement read.

The bishops emphasized that the bill’s provisions are too vague and could be used to stifle legitimate criticism of the government.

They added that, the amendments seek to sustain the problematic current status quo where pursuing charges of ‘h@tred, r!d!cule or contempt’ require the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), further alleging that the provision, from time immemorial has only benefited government officials or those associated to the ruling party.

“As history has shown, this provision has enabled the incumbent DPP to make partisan calls that have previously benefited the government by way of only sanctioning the prosecution of opposition figures while declining to sanction the private prosecution of government officials or those associated with the ruling party on similar
charges of h@te speech”

They are callling for a thorough review of the entire Penal Code Act to ensure it aligns with the Constitution and promotes comprehensive, rather than piecemeal, reforms.