This opinion column was originally published in the print and online editions of the Daily Nation newspaper.

The right to freedom of expression is inalienable.  It is the most basic, fundamental human right: your freedom to hold opinions and communicate them.  It is a right protected by law for every Zambian citizen, from the Constitution to the African Union’s Banjual Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.

And yet, this right is routinely ignored and violated by the Patriotic Front government of President Michael Sata, whose intolerance for criticism has deprived Zambia of the checks and balances that should provided by an independent media in a normal democracy.

In Zambia today, the PF believes that it is illegal for you to have an opinion.  You can be considered a “criminal” for disagreeing with the president, and apparently, you can face jail time if you dare to voice that criticism.