Lilongwe: On the occasion of the 2025 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter has issued a strong call for the Malawi Police Service and other state institutions to demonstrate genuine commitment to investigating and prosecuting attacks on journalists.

MISA Malawi stressed that the lack of zeal from state machinery has allowed perpetrators to walk free, effectively promoting a culture of impunity that undermines media freedom in the country.

MISA Malawi is urging the police to be proactive and act without fear or favour, especially concerning cases perpetrated by politically connected individuals.

“As a law enforcement agency, police must always enforce the law regardless of the position and status of those involved,” stated Golden Matonga, Chairperson of MISA Malawi in his IDEI statement.

The organization highlighted several specific cases that have either stalled or were ignored by law enforcement.

For instance, Matonga said while MISA Malawi acknowledged the recent arrest of Yona Malunga and Stone Mwamadi for being suspected of storming the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Kwacha studios and manhandling the suspended Director General George Kasakula, the organization remains "worried that the case has not yet gone to court for prosecution."

Malunga and Mwamadi are stalwarts of the newly-elected Democratic Progressive Party government, and attacked Kasakula in apparent reaction to his castigation of the party’s president Peter Mutharika when he was in the opposition.

In another case, on the Lilongwe demonstration assaults, MISA Malawi says it is closely following the case against suspects arrested in connection with the June attacks on human rights activist Sylvester Namiwa and other demonstrators, during which journalists were also assaulted and forced to delete pictures.

Recent reports from the Malawi Police Service confirm that at least 17 suspects connected to the Namiwa incident have appeared before the Principal Resident Magistrate's Court in Lilongwe to answer various charges, including grievous harm and malicious damage.

MISA Malawi's interest remains in the logical conclusion of these cases, particularly those involving assaults on journalists during the incident, said Matonga.

In other incidents, the police have also been criticized for failing to act on documented cases, including threats against journalists Gregory Gondwe (who was previously forced into hiding over an investigative piece) and Cathy Maulidi.

The police have consistently maintained that they uphold media freedom and protect the rights of journalists to work freely in the country, often assuring that suspects in attacks will be brought to book.

The MPS has previously reiterated its commitment to promoting free expression and ensuring the safety of journalists, especially during critical periods like elections, and has even developed security guidelines following engagements with MISA Malawi's Media Advocacy Group.

However, MISA Malawi’s statement directly challenges this institutional rhetoric, arguing that the service's actions have repeatedly failed to match its constitutional promises.

Recent Positive Development

MISA Malawi also noted a significant victory for media freedom earlier in the year.

In July 2025, the High Court of Malawi (sitting as a Constitutional Court) delivered a landmark ruling that declared Section 200 of the Penal Code, which criminalized defamation, unconstitutional.

This ruling was widely welcomed by MISA Malawi and other civil society organizations as it removes a major legislative tool that created a "chilling effect" and led to self-censorship among journalists.

Digital Threats and the Focus on Women Journalists

The global 2025 IDEI theme, "Chat GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists," provided a timely reminder of the evolving threats faced by the media.

MISA Malawi noted that as the world becomes more digital, attacks on journalists are also shifting online.

Female journalists are comparatively more vulnerable to online attacks, which negatively impacts their performance and chills freedom of expression for all.

The organization called on the government, development partners, and other stakeholders to collaborate in addressing these digital threats and attacks against both women and all journalists, stressing the need for "collective advocacy and democratically agreed policy action."

What’s IDEI?

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 2nd as IDEI to press member states to implement definite measures countering impunity.

In view of this, MISA Malawi said state agencies must uphold the Republican Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression (Section 35) and the right to information (Section 37).

"Ending impunity for crimes against journalists demands interest and zeal to see to it that those who commit such crimes are prosecuted and justice is timely and rightly served2," the statement read.