CPJ joins call for Zambian authorities to keep internet on during elections

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined #KeepItOn Coalition partners in urging Zambian authorities and telecommunication providers to ensure free and open internet access before, during, and after the country’s general election on August 13.

In the letter, the coalition highlighted Zambia’s 2021 internet shutdown, when access to major social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, was cut off on the election day, August 12, and the following day. 

The Ministry of Technology and Science told Zambians in June that it will not deliberately restrict the internet during this year’s polls. The government said it was unable to establish the cause of the 2021 internet shutdown and the coalition called on authorities to continue a transparent investigation into that disruption.

Read the full letter here.