Malawian MP, activist arrested over "inflammatory" posts about recent plane crash-Xinhua

Malawian MP, activist arrested over "inflammatory" posts about recent plane crash

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2024-06-22 16:42:45

LILONGWE, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Police in Malawi have arrested a Member of Parliament, Kamlepo Kalua, and an activist, Bon Kalindo, for their social media posts regarding the June 10 plane crash that killed the country's Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight other officials.

National police spokesperson Peter Kalaya confirmed the arrests in a statement dated Friday, saying they had made "inflammatory social media posts which are full of innuendos and insinuations."

The voice notes in question contain serious criminal elements as defined by the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act, Kalaya further said.

The police spokesperson further said that the posts have the potential to incite violence and disorder.

The social media posts reportedly made by Kalua and Kalindo questioned and contradicted the authorities' narrative regarding the cause of the plane crash.

The plane, a Dornier 228 military aircraft belonging to the Malawi Defense Force, crashed on June 10 in a forest a few kilometers away from Mzuzu City in northern Malawi due to poor weather conditions, according to the country's Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba.

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has since engaged foreign experts to join the Malawi Defense Force and the Malawi Police Service in investigating the crash to find out the actual cause.

Meanwhile, experts from Germany are scheduled to jet into the country Saturday to help investigate, Minister of Information and Digitalization Moses Kunkuyu said.