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Zambia June 2015–May 2016

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Zambia June 2015–May 2016 Zambia Page 1 of 14 Published on Freedom House (https://freedomhouse.org) Home > Zambia Zambia Country: Zambia Year: 2016 Status: Partly Free Total Score: 38 (0 = Best, 100 = Worst) Obstacles to Access: 11 (0 = Best, 25 = Worst) Limits on Content: 10 (0 = Best, 35 = Worst) Violations of User Rights: 17 (0 = Best, 40 = Worst) Population: 16.2 million Internet Penetration: 21 percent Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: No Political/Social Content Blocked: No Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Press Freedom Status: Not Free Key Developments: June 2015–May 2016 https://freedomhouse.org/print/48982 5/3/2017 Zambia Page 2 of 14 • There were no reports of blocking, filtering, or content removals compared to previous years when critical online news outlets were restricted under the preceding president (see Limits on Content). • In January 2016, President Lungu signed into law the much-anticipated Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act of 2016, though the amendments lacked many of the provisions sought by citizens, including the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms (see Legal Environment). • Digital activism was vibrant, helping rollback a government shutdown of two universities, while a video shared on WhatsApp and social media helped bring critical attention to the assault of a woman, leading police to seek out the perpetrators (see Digital Activism). • The popular singer Pilato was arrested for a song widely shared on social media and WhatsApp that allegedly defamed President Edgar Lungu in June 2015. Charged with incitement, his case was dismissed in July 2015 (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities) Introduction: Internet freedom in Zambia improved marginally during the coverage period due to less blocking incidents under the current administration of Edgar Lungu compared to the late and former President Michael Sata, who died in October 2014. Sata’s record on internet freedom was poor, characterized by the blocking of news websites from July 2013 to April 2014 and arrest of several journalists suspected of having an affiliation with the blocked news outlets. In contrast, there have been no websites blocked under President Lungu. Nonetheless, the current government started showing signs of intolerance towards criticism in the past year, arresting the popular singer Pilato for a song widely shared on social media and WhatsApp that allegedly defamed President Lungu in June 2015. Despite some improvements due to less problematic issues compared to previous years, backsliding occurred in the aftermath of the contentious presidential elections in August 2016 (after this report’s coverage period for FOTN scores), which saw the reelection of Edgar Lungu. Following protests that erupted among opposition supporters who accused the electoral commission of voter fraud, there were reports of mobile broadband network disruptions for 48 to 72 hours in opposition held regions of the country, leading to strong suspicions of deliberate government interference. The critical online news outlet Zambian Watchdog and its Facebook page were later shut down in September, reportedly after the authorities raided the offices of a local web hosting company in search of Zambian Watchdog’s servers. The August 2016 elections also sought voter approval of constitutional amendments that would enshrine fundamental rights, including protections for print, broadcast, and electronic media freedom. The referendum was initiated in response to the highly anticipated Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act of 2016 that was enacted by President Lungu in January 2016 but excluded many of the provisions sought by citizens such as the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. Though the referendum was approved by 71 percent of voters, the vote failed to garner the minimum voter turnout threshold of 50 percent to validate the results. https://freedomhouse.org/print/48982 5/3/2017 Zambia Page 3 of 14 Despite Zambia’s middling internet freedom environment, citizens continued to be empowered by digital media, using it to pushback against government abuses and call for justice. Digital activism was vibrant in the past year, helping rollback a government shutdown of two universities, while a video shared on WhatsApp and social media helped bring critical attention to the assault of a woman, leading police to seek out the perpetrators. Obstacles to Access: Internet and mobile access rose steadily but remained low compared to other countries in the region. Increased electricity load shedding, high mobile and Internet purchase costs, poor infrastructure, and a large urban-rural divide are considered as major obstacles to access. Availability and Ease of Access Zambia was among the early adopters of the Internet in sub-Saharan Africa with the installation of dial-up and satellite technology at the University of Zambia in the early 1990s, though access has grown slowly ever since. Internet penetration increased incrementally the past year, growing from a rate of 17 percent in 2014 to 21 percent in 2015,according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).1 Mobile phone usage is expanding more rapidly, reaching a penetration of nearly 75 percent in 2015, up from 67 percent the previous year,2 as most Zambian internet users access the internet via their mobile devices. Despite increasing access, internet connection speeds remain slow, averaging 2.0 Mbps compared to a global average of 6.2 Mbps, according to Akamai’s State of the Internet report.3 The costs of ICT ownership and access are very expensive and out of reach for the majority of citizens in Zambia, where the average minimum wage is approximately US$47 per month.4 Blackberry devices still remain the most popular internet-enabled mobile phones in Zambia due to cheap subscription fees, which cost as low as US$5 per month for access. Nevertheless, high costs hinder most Zambians from accessing other the top Internet applications, with a standard smart phone costing about US$200 while broadband subscriptions cost an average of US$26 for 10 GB of data. Only 13.5 percent of people that own mobile phones have a smart phone. Further, less than 1 percent of Zambians access the internet from their homes via fixed-line broadband subscriptions, which cost an average of US$26 as of February 2016.5 Zambians also access the internet at cybercafes, which cost slightly less than US$1 per hour. In recent years, however, cybercafes have become less popular as people increasingly access the internet via mobile devices. While access to ICTs is steadily increasing, it is only widespread in urban areas. Access in rural areas has lagged behind due to the high costs of hardware and software, poor network coverage, and high levels of illiteracy. Erratic and expensive electricity also hinders access for rural areas, where less than 6 percent of residents have access to electricity,6 and the government has lacked the resources needed to prioritize the development of ICT infrastructure in rural areas. Consequently, the urban-rural divide remains high, with 68 percent of the urban population having access to mobile phones, compared to 39 percent of the rural population. https://freedomhouse.org/print/48982 5/3/2017 Zambia Page 4 of 14 Restrictions on Connectivity During the June 2015 to May 2016 coverage period, there were no reports of the Zambian government restricting access to the internet or mobile phone services. However, during presidential elections in August 2016, mobile broadband networks were reportedly disrupted for 48 to 72 hours in opposition held regions of the country, leading to strong suspicions of deliberate government interference.7 The outage followed protests that erupted among opposition supporters who accused the electoral commission of voter fraud. Two mobile providers—MTN and Airtel—confirmed the disruptions but did not provide a reason, leaving it unclear whether the outage was ordered by the government.8Nonetheless, the subsequent banning of independent broadcast and radio outlets further strengthened suspicions that the disruptions were part of an overall strategy to crackdown on press freedom and freedom of expression during the election period.9 Partial state ownership over the country’s fiber backbone and control over connections to the international internet may enable the government to restrict connectivity at will.10 As a landlocked country, Zambia’s national fiber backbone is provided by three operators: state-owned Zambia Telecommunications Ltd (Zamtel), state-owned Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd (ZESCO),11 and privately-owned Copper belt Energy Corporation (CEC). Zamtel operates the fiber-optic connection to two international submarine cables: the WACS and Sat-3.12 MTN and Airtel lease access to the undersea cables from Zamtel, while MTN also connects directly to the EASSy.13 According to a July 2013 Zambian Watchdog report, the government may also control the country’s internet exchange point (IXP), which is reportedly housed in the same building as state-owned Zamtel in Lusaka.14 ICT Market The Zambian market for ISPs is very competitive and characterized by a lack of a significant dominant player.15 As of 2016, there are 23 registered ISPs, three of which are also the country’s mobile phone providers: MTN, Airtel, and state-owned Zamtel.16 All Internet and mobile service providers are privately owned, with the exception of Zamtel, which was renationalized in January 2012 under the directive of the late President Michael Sata.17 Sata’s predecessor had sold the 75 percent
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