Zambian police announced on Thursday the arrest of opposition politician Fred M’membe following a social media post alleging that the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo claimed to have paid millions of dollars to Zambia’s president to silence criticism.
M’membe, who leads the Socialist Party, was taken into custody for “seditious practices,” according to a police statement.
A journalist and lawyer, M’membe, 65, has frequently clashed with authorities due to his outspoken criticism of the Zambian government.
The arrest stems from a July 16 social media post in which M’membe shared an article titled, “President Felix Tshisekedi tells DRC Catholic Bishops about the USD 20 million payout to buy Zambia’s silence.”
Police spokesman Rae Hamoonga stated that the article’s content was believed to incite hatred or contempt against the government.
M’membe is currently being held in police custody and will face charges in court.
Earlier this week, another journalist, Thomas Zgambo, who runs the online platform Zambian Whistleblower, was arrested on similar charges after publishing an article alleging that a government department was renting office space from a building owned by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. Zgambo was released on bail on Thursday.