The establishment of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Zambia was intended to be a beacon of hope—a robust institutional watchdog designed to shield the vulnerable from the excesses of power. Yet, as time has passed, the institution has increasingly come to be viewed as a “toothless” entity. This perception is not merely a critique of its leadership but an indictment of a structural design that prioritizes optics over agency. When an oversight body is stripped of the ability to enforce its recommendations, it ceases to be a guardian of justice and instead becomes a hollow administrative office. For the…

The recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius served as a stark reminder of how quickly misinformation can travel in the digital age. Almost as soon as the first reports hit the wires, the internet became a hotbed for familiar, debunked narratives. Figures with large followings—some wielding medical credentials—began promoting unproven treatments like ivermectin, misinterpreting the drug’s biological function to claim it could treat a viral illness for which there is currently no cure. This pattern of “outbreak déjà vu” is increasingly predictable: fear-mongers immediately pivot to blame vaccines, falsely cite clinical trial monitoring documents as evidence…