Zambia should address hate speech because it is one of the early warning indicators of potential genocide, the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for prevention of genocide, Dr. Choloka Beyani, has advised.
Dr Beyani gave the advice when he paid a courtesy call on the Human Rights Commission of Zambia Chairperson, Dr. Pamela Towela Sambo, in Lusaka on 30th April, 2026. He was accompanied by the UN Resident Coordinator in Zambia, Ms. Beatrice Mutali.
Dr. Beyani expressed concern on the reported cases of raising hate speech, characterised with misinformation and disinformation ahead of the 13th August 2026 General Election.
He further explained that Zambia must put in place strategies to combat hate speech and discrimination because the two were the main precursor to genocide.
He added that genocide, characterised by violence, is a crime against humanity that targets specific groupings of society either because of their race, ethnicity or religious orientation or any form of discrimination.
Dr. Buyeni pointed out that hate speech, which includes insulting, dehumanizing and demeaning language, is rife on some “anti-social media” platforms targeting specific groups or individuals in Zambia.
He highlighted the challenge of irresponsible social media reporting, where content creators often lack basic training in media law and ethics unlike formal journalists. As a result, many countries are responding by enacting cyber laws to regulate the rapidly evolving irresponsible social media in order to make the cyber space safe.
Ms. Mutali said that Zambia was renowned to be a beacon of peace and should continue before, during and after the forthcoming general election.
She said the UN in Zambia was working with the Government and other stakeholders to address disinformation and misinformation by re-launching a national fact-checking platform-iVerify Zambia, aimed at promoting information integrity ahead of the 13th August General Election.
In response, Dr. Towela Sambo thanked the UN system for designating human rights as one of the five pillars of its work in Zambia.
She said the Commission was committed to delivering on its constitutional and legislative mandate to promote and protect human rights for all in Zambia.
