Despots abound in the African continent. Phew!


A court in the Zambian capital Lusaka has sentenced a young man to two years
in prison for describing President Frederick Chiluba as 'stupid'.
Zambian Post journalist Liseli Kayumba

Wilfred Nkabeka, a 27-year-old estate agent, made the fateful comment while
drinking in a bar. The court heard that on the night in question, Mr Nkabeka
began complaining about the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).
But his comments against the president became more direct as the night wore
on. Defamation The magistrate reportedly ruled that insulting language
against the president constituted defamation, and handed down a sentence of
two years.
The judge said that cases of defamation of the president were rising



Liseli Kayumba, a journalist for The Post newspaper in Zambia, said it was
the first time she had seen a penalty this harsh meted out. "When you go
drinking especially in bars, that's common talk," she told the BBC's Focus on
Africa programme. "He called the president stupid, and I guess the patrons
took offence. He wouldn't stop using abusive language. So they apprehended
him." Aside from calling President Chiluba stupid, Mr Nkabeka allegedly
referred to him as "chikala", an intensely derogatory word in Zambian. "It
refers to a private part," said Ms Kayumba. The judge noted there had been
many cases of defamation of the president and there was a need to protect the
integrity of the office.

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