If Prof. Muna Ndulo, law, chooses to return to Zambia to face charges of contempt, his actions deserve the full support and attention of the Cornell community.

Ndulo’s recent column in Zambia’s widely read newspaper, The Post, eloquently and persuasively outlined the weakness of the government’s case against the editors of the paper, arguing that the vacuous charges against them should be dropped. Upon reading Ndulo’s column, a Zambian magistrate charged both Ndulo and the paper’s editorial board with contempt of court. The magistrate chose not to respond to Ndulo’s ideas, or those of the editors, but instead challenged their right to openly express their opinions.

This case is not simply about the controversial circulation of two graphic images of a breeched birth that lead to the arrest of The Post’s editor in chief. Nor is it the result of a column written by a Cornell professor in defense of the editor’s decision.

More generally, this case will have a broad impact on civil liberties in Zambia and threaten other countries where there is no free press. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that in 2009 there have been at least 21 incidents of physical violence, threats and hostile rhetoric against Zambian reporters, nearly all of whom have worked for The Post. As the largest private newspaper in Zambia, with an editorial board that has not hesitated to criticize its government, The Post has become a target for those with a stranglehold on free speech. If The Post is silenced, the Zambian government will have succeeded in eliminating one of the main checks on its power.

Heroically, both Ndulo and the editors seem determined to fight the charges against them. They have filed petitions for judicial review and were granted a stay by a different judge until additional hearings are conducted. Ndulo told a BBC program last week that he would return to Zambia if summoned, declaring, “I am not afraid.”

If Zambian prosecutors choose to pursue the case, and if Ndulo chooses to leave Cornell to face charges, he must travel with the support of the University behind him.

If one of our own professors joins this struggle, jeopardizing his own freedom in the process, we Cornellians must stand behind him.

With a case like this hitting so close to home, we are reminded that everyday we take for granted the liberty of expression. As students, the Ivory Tower projects and protects our voices. We can demonstrate on Ho Plaza, erect a controversial display on the Quad and speak our minds in this newspaper. But Ndulo’s case reminds us that these liberties can be easily challenged.

We hope Ndulo’s plight will also emphasize the fact that until freedom of expression is accepted and fostered universally, the liberty will be at stake across the globe, affecting intellectuals even inside the bubble of academia that is Cornell.