About six Zambian journalists covering a peaceful demonstration organized by the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) over the constitutionreview process were detained by police Monday.

Among the detainees are Kangwa Mulenga from privately-owned Radio Phoenix who was brutally beaten by the officers, Mutuna Chanda from privately-owned Q FM radio station and Brighton Phiri,a photographer from The Post, a main private newspaper.

Others are Eddie Mwanaleza, a photographer from the state-ownedTimes of Zambia, and two camera men from the state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation television.

The six were among other journalists who had followed the police to the Imboela stadium, where nearly 100 demonstrators weretemporarily detained before being formally charged.

The UPND has been calling for a national demonstration demanding that the current constitution review process be completed before the 2006 general elections, so that the electionswould be conducted under the new constitution.

However, Inspector General of the police Zunga Siakalima said the demonstration is illegal because the organizers have not followed provisions by law. He warned that those who choose to challenge the law should be ready for the consequence.

The journalists were first chased from the pitch, and then driven out the stadium altogether.

"You remove these people (journalists) from here because they have started interviewing suspects," the officer in charge was overheard saying.

Some journalists were chased and beaten by the police during the jostle, as the journalists were reluctant to leave the site.

It was not quite clear what prompted the police from starting harassing the journalists, but according to some journalists who talked to Xinhua, the police could have been angered by the live interview given by Q FM radio station to one of the detained lawmakers Japhet Moonde, who had come out of the stadium to lock his car.

Source: Xinhua