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ZAMBIA-HARASS Jul-22-2009 (390 words) xxxi
Zambian bishops urge government to stop harassing the media
By Mwansa Pintu
Catholic News Service
LUSAKA, Zambia (CNS) -- The Catholic bishops of Zambia have challenged their government to stop persecuting and harassing journalists and media institutions perceived as holding divergent views.
In a pastoral statement released after a full plenary meeting in Lusaka July 13-18, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Zambia urged the government to clamp down on violence against the media.
"We call on the government to move away from politicking and diverting attention to nonissues," the bishops said. "The government must clamp down on violence against the media."
The statement also said, "The government must itself desist from the harassment, persecution and prosecution of individual journalists, media institutions and ordinary citizens perceived to hold different views from those favored by (the) government."
The prelates urged the government to devote more time and energy to major concerns such as government corruption, safety issues in the mining industry, ever-rising food prices, regular power outages, finalizing the draft of a new constitution and continuous voter registration.
The bishops also stated they had seen the need to deliberate on certain issues that were affecting the nation, particularly health care.
"That our health sector is in dire straits is something that is obvious. The recent revelation of gross financial mismanagement in the Ministry of Health and the strike by our medical personnel have not only highlighted some of the challenges facing our health delivery system but have also resulted in untold suffering among our people," the bishops said.
The bishops stated, "In our day-to-day contacts, particularly with the rural poor, we have witnessed firsthand the suffering of our people. The truth of the matter is that people are dying because they are unable to access adequate health care."
As stakeholders in health care through the management of grant-aided health institutions, the bishops expressed concern that the government has not regularly disbursed funds to most health care institutions since the start of 2009.
"Our experience with the government concerning funding for grant-aided health institutions has not been satisfactory," the bishops said. "Often funding meant for church-run health institutions is either delayed, or when it comes it is too little and its disbursement dependant on the good will of district officials."
Church-run hospitals and clinics, the bishops said, have been forced to close and some facilities have been forced to turn away patients and "keep services to the barest minimum."
END
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