The Alliance for Human Rights and Governance (ALHURIGO) is up in arms against police on the Copperbelt for not granting them a permit to hold a closed door meeting.
ALHURIGO Zambia Chapter Interim Chairperson, Philemon Phiri, says Zambia was recently peer reviewed as a maturity of democratic practice with a high level of commitment to liberation movements on the Africa continent.
Mr Phiri says Zambia must not lose her dignity and status of peace and democracy because of a few selfish police officers that people and the Head of State have put into public offices.
He said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
“The meeting was scheduled to take place today (June, 8, 2013) at New Ambassador Hotel in Ndola whose objectives was, among other things, to strengthen our good governance advocacy and our participation in active politics and development and remain non-partisan.
“It’s regrettable that the Police in Ndola denied us a permit and access to association, freedom of expression and fundamental human right,” Mr Phiri lamented.
He stressed that the meeting was vital to discuss the four thematic areas of APRM, the UN 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and people’s rights.
He added that the Forum for Good Governance, Gender Equity and Justice International together with the Samaritan Strategy Foundation of Zambia were given a mandated to spearhead the organisation for Civil Society Organisations’ Consultative meeting in Ndola on the Copperbelt Province but, unfortunately, the meeting did not take place because of selfishness by some police officers.
He charged that holding a closed door meeting does not require a police permit but only did so not to be in confrontation with the law.
The ALHURIGO Interim Chairperson is, however, optimistic that the PF government would sternly deal with undemocratic people frustrating government’s efforts.
By press time, efforts to get a comment from Copperbelt Police Chief, Mary Tembo on the matter, proved futile.
ZANIS
SO does it mean that all provincial Police Chiefs are female? interesting?
Women this is your opportunity to us men about your leadership skills and profesionalism, I must say so far you are doping a really lousy job.
Well said. And they say if women ruled the world there would be no war – I don’t think that’s the case anymore.
What’s up with all of them being women? – useless ones too!
I won`t comment until i hear what the police have to say on this issue.I`m done responding to one sided stories.
imwe bantu,,, closed indoor meeting,,, requires a permit?????
hahahahahaha Ndobo Zambia works on a very bizzare set of rules. Very soon na po Kudya Nshima we shall require a permit for that five finger mugaiwa meeting.
@mwanawakwitu (Lucky Msiska)
sure my bro!! at the rate at which things are going, one day we may wake up ..only to find that one requires a police permit to go have a potato cut at barber shop
“potato cut ” hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Just wait maybe one day you will have that permit if chance allows, as for now I do not know.
WHY DO YOU APPLY FOR A PERMIT?WE ZAMBIANS ARE VERY DOCILE TO SAY THE LEAST.DO YOU NEED A PERMIT TO HOLD A MEETING?SOON CHURCHES WILL NEED PERMITS.WHAT ARE THE AMERICAN,BRITISH AND JAPANESE EMBASSIES SAYING ABOUT THIS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ASSOCIATION?
good question. at least the germany embassy is the only one which seems to be redeeming itself by openly condemning this ( see story in the post ).
at this point in time, the germans are the only western big power which seem to be genuine i think because of the first hand experience they had with hitler and his gestapo police
Hungry-looking soldiers.
Where are the para-military these days?
Those guys in the picture are not regular cops. They’re the Lusaka based C5…a crack unit that rapidly and forcefully responds to armed robberies. The women chiefs are using too much force…if those are the guys they sent to prevent the meeting.
Really….you need a permit to hold an in-door meeting? I think the PF government is seriously misunderstanding the colonial public order act.
Very soon we will be getting permits to have weddings and meeting friends for lunch.
Did they even need a permit in the first place?
PF are maggots! They are not cut out for the modern world. Kabimba and Mmembe however strongly believe that the democracy that Zambians had always dreamed of has finally arrived with the ascendancy of St Michael to the highest office in the land! And Kaunda is very happy that if he were to die today his beloved Zambians would be in the safe and loving care of St Michael!
Oh God! Did I just hear you say that these guys are just a bunch of lunatics?
“you find one day when you wake your testicles floating in water “one swiz zinger quotes
Filefwaya filelanda pafyakuleta amano yabufufuntungu ati “human rights” na masponsor babo ba UN and aza fus bringing evil ku Zambia ba koswe! Good job GRZ
Zambians, you only have yourselves to blame with your timidity. How in the first place do you go to the police for a permit when your meeting is indoors? Its like your employer deposits your salary into your bank account, and you still ask him whether you can withdraw it or not! The outside world will only come and intervene when you yourselves take the first step!