Youngson Chilinda, the senior security officer at Parliament who assaulted a Nation Publications Limited (NPL) photojournalist at Malawi Parliament building on Thursday, was arrested Saturday afternoon, police confirmed.
Chilinda was arrested in the Capital City, according to Lilongwe Police spokesperson Ramsey Mushani.
Mushani said the suspect will appear in court soon, but could not disclose the charges the former soldier and football referee will face.
Meanwhile, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter has teamed up with NPL to seek action against Chilinda.
In a statement released on Friday, MISA Malawi chairperson Anthony Kasunda condemned Chilinda’s actions and asked Parliament to suspend him for the “barbaric and retrogressive behaviour.”
Chilinda assaulted Chikondi while she covered the presentation of a petition to Parliament by the Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama).
“MISA Malawi believes that the media have a right to gather and report freely within Malawi and abroad; and to be accorded the fullest possible facilities for access to information as enshrined under Section 36 of the Republican Constitution. Taking photographs is part and parcel of a journalist’s work to gather and report matters of public interest and Chilinda’s actions clearly violates this provision.
“Apart from violating this provision, Chilinda also assaulted and injured Chikondi who had to be treated for bruises and soft tissue injury at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH). MISA Malawi would [also] like the National Assembly to take serious disciplinary measures on Chilinda,” reads the statement.
NPL spokesperson MacDonald Kadewa on Saturday said the organisation has written Speaker of Parliament Henry Chimunthu Banda demanding an apology to Chikondi and NPL for Chilinda’s action.
The newspaper organisation is also seeking assurance from the Speaker on the safety of its reporters when covering events at Parliament.
NPL is also demanding compensation for Chikondi.
According to Kadewa, NPL also wants to know what action will be taken against the security officer.
Spokesperson for the National Assembly Leonard Mengezi told the media on Friday that the institution would act on the matter after receiving an official complaint from NPL. Meanwhile, the local media fraternity has been enraged by Chilinda’s actions, as indicated in its professional discussion forum.
