Malawian police detained a newspaper journalist over an online article published the previous year, which revealed fraudulent activities involving a corruption suspect who was accused of plotting to defraud the Malawian government.
Macmillan Mhone, a journalist for the daily Nation Newspaper in Blantyre, allegedly wrote a story in August of last year while working for Malawi24, which led to his arrest on Monday. The story revealed Abdul Karim Batatawala's dishonest practices, and he is a corruption suspect accused of conspiring to deceive the government of Malawi.
On Tuesday, Mhone's attorney, Joseph Lihoma, informed VOA that Mhone had not yet been charged.
Among Mhone's initial charges are acts that could disturb the peace and alarm the public.
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The arrest occurred two months after another investigative journalist in the area, Gregory Gondwe, fled the country after receiving information from military sources that he would be arrested for a story he wrote about corruption in the armed forces.
A number of press freedom advocates and human rights campaigners, including the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA-MALAWI) and the Committee for Protection of Journalists, have denounced Mhone's arrest.
The head of Malawi's Media Institute for Southern Africa, Golden Matonga, urged police to free the journalist without holding back.
"Malawi is one of [the] beacons of hope for democracy," said Mantonga. "To see this backsliding of our democracy is saddening for us in the journalism profession and also for everyone who wished our democracy to continue to grow."
According to a statement from MISA-Malawi, the story under consideration does not incite fear or public alarm.
According to Pearson Nkhoma, the director of the board of Malawi24, an online publication where the story was published, Mhone was not the author, so police arrested him based on false information.
"If anyone has a screenshot indicating that Macmillan has the byline, then those people are basically lying," he stated.
According to Nkhoma, it is unexpected that police have detained someone Malawi24 no longer employs in connection with the publication.
Calls to the national police spokesperson went unanswered, so VOA could still wait for a response from the police.
