In a statement, Commission Chairperson Mudford Mwandenga says the Commission is concerned at the prevailing political animosity between the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) which has continued to negatively affect the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Mr Mwandenga says it is the considered view of the Commission that the continued violations of individual rights such as the right to life, protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary and over-detention of suspects, violations of the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression, are symptoms of deep-rooted political grievances that need to be addressed through political dialogue.
He says the Commission is equally aware of the fact that human rights violations are among the root causes of insecurity and instability, with real potential to trigger conflict, as well as economic, political and social disorder.
He states that it is therefore strongly recommended that the PF and UPND leadership must open up dialogue and resolve the outstanding issues that may be contributing to a hostile political environment.
Mr Mwandenga says the continued political hostility is endangering the maintenance of peace, law and order as well as grossly undermining the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
He says the situation calls for magnanimous, candid and selfless political decisions, efforts and commitment of high ranking political leaders to face each other around the table for the sake of peace and protection of the rights of individuals.
Mr Mwandenga says it would be a grave mistake to hope that the current political animosity and suppression of human rights and freedoms will be resolved through threats and counter threats or public condemnation statements without dialoguing and subordinating personal and partisan interests to national interests.
He adds that the frequency of losing lives through politically related circumstances is extremely saddening and the country must not accept such a situation as normal, and continue as business as usual without taking practical steps to redress such grave human rights violations.
What dialogue you people and dialogue over what. It’s time the accepted that the president is ECL and then we can move forward.
Only one person is perpetrating this anmosity. Just this week he was referring to his colleague by clueless hyna. What can you dialogue with such a man full of bitterness. Are you very sure HH is doing what he’s doing for the good of this country because to be honest I don’t think so. He is only driven by his selfish motives.
Where can that meeting take place, Lusaka is impossible.
UPND what to dialogue with people, but can’t.
Stand and sing of Zambia proud and free,land of work and joy in unity.If you say don’t encourage dialogue then go to the bush and start your own rebel movement.There’s nothing impossible before the Lord.Dialogue is very important.We love a peaceful Zambia.I pray that sooner not later a solution will be achieved.
Human Rights Commission, ARE YOU ALSO JOKERS LIKE HH AND HIS UPND? DIALOGUE ABOUT WHAT? HOW IS PF GOVERNMENT GOING TO DIALOGUE WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT ACCEPT THE PRESIDENCY OF THE POPULARLY CHOSEN PARTY? UPND IS NOT THE ONLY POLITICAL PARTY IN ZAMBIA. THERE ARE MANY AND THEY DIALOGUE WITH THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT AND THAT’S ENOUGH. DIALOGUING WITH THE PARTY WHICH SERVES ONLY ONE HH PERSON IS A SHERE WASTE OF PRODUCTIVE TIME. FIRST THEY SHOULD ACCEPT THAT THEY LOST AND ECL IS THE CURRENT PRESIDENT AND THEIR TIME WILL COME IF THEY WIN THE ELECTIONS IN FUTURE. HH CAN CONTINUE TALKING TO TRUMP IN HIS WET DREAMS IN THE MEANTIME BEFORE HE MAKES UP HIS STUP1D MIND TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH.
@1.3 buta. WHICH SOLUTION ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. ZAMBIANS GAVE ZAMBIA A SOLUTION BY VOTING FOR PF AND ECL AS PRESIDENT. NOW WHICH SOLUTION ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. IF ONE PERSON DOES NOT ACCEPT ECL THAT IS HIS PROBLEM. THEY GAVE HIM CHANCE TO PROVE THAT HE WON ELECTIONS BUT FAILED AS HE DID NOT HAVE EVIDENCE IT WAS RIGGED. THE MAJORITY OF ZAMBIANS HAVEN’T GOT A PROBLEM. IT’S ONLY HH AND THOSE WHO LICK HIS @RSE WHO HAVE A PROBLEM. ZAMBIA HAS GENUINE PROBLEMS TO SOLVE. NOT OF THOSE RESULTING FROM LOSING AN ELECTION BECAUSE THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE WINNER IN A RACE AND THIS TIME IT IS ECL WHO WON THE RACE. THOSE WHO DID NOT WIN SHOULD WAIT FOR ANOTHER CHANCE WHICH IS GUARANTED EVERY FIVE YEARS. HH IS JUST SMOKING TOO MUCH WEED.
How many times did HH try by all means to dialogue with that lazy f00l you call your president? We in upnd have followed the proper channel by disputing the elections via the zambian legal system. However, even that is not good enough for PF and they have used all sorts of illegal means to stop the petition. It is good that the HRC is stating exactly what we have been saying about human rights violations. Remember that it is the PF government that has given itself the responsibility to uphold the constitution and citizens rights. Therefore when the police violate peoples rights it is clearly PFs fault. Zambia is slowly descending into a civil war but lungu is too proud for nothing to let the courts decide whether he won fairly. What is he scared of? only losers are scared.
You are the definition of a fool ,how dare you insult the president, no wonder you lied to your UPND people that you going to go ahead with the rally. Sorry you’ll never stop hating .
NeZ rubbish absolutely rubbish
Freemasonry satanic ritual killer HH will never understand the people of Zambia hence sitting together with him won’t make sense at all
Darkness and light can’t mix and light shall shine over darkness of doom.
Human Rights Comm, needs to acknowledge the fault is with UPND who have failed to accept our democratic choice. Tying in PF into this call is a Human Rights violation we ought to be reporting to ICC …..if there was a chance your western sponsors could be compelled to be tried under the fake court.
What dialogue do u want between the Vote Thief and the Victims? The Law is very clear once the Election Petition is Lodged with Concourt it must heard and determined. HRC should be calling a spade a spade. The source of Tension and acrimony in Zambia is caused by the Disputed and Petitioned Election. The Problem is that the Petition has not been heard and there is a strong feeling that Lungu stole the Election Victory from HH. The solution is to hear the Petition In Court and for the Court to declare the Winner duly elected. Lungu has been blocking the Petition and HRC should criticise Lungu for this and urge him to allow the Petition to be heard so that Zambia can move forward. Without Hearing the Petition there is no way forward and there wont be peace in Zambia. The truth of what…
To Dialogue what? Zambians voted for Lungu period.Please Zambians are tired of these petty complaints by HH.Even the so called Human rights commission I think they have lost direction.
HRC are you serious? So you are unable to name the party at fault? Why are you afraid to tell the truth? What’s the problem with Africans? So you haven’t investigated yet and identified the root cause of this major issue? What a shame HRC!! AFRICA WE ARE GOING NOWHERE!!
there is no dialogue here, what dialogue can be there between the loser and the winner, the loser is a bad loser with a temper, he feels ownership to the election he lost, the only dialogue that should be there is that of this HH fool accepting defeat and moving own, HH is a THREAT to Zambia’s peace, cage the ***** and preserve our peaceful country.
Dialogue with people with no respect for law?
Mwape Habalengwa!
Dialogue with someone who refers to others as a fisi! Adolf has stated clearly that he is going to the ICC to sue ECL for refusing to step down after the last election. To further his bitterness he has now began talks with ‘Trump’ who will soon start dealing with Adolf’s perceived animal hyena. Can that surely be the language of a states man? A man who garnered votes in 3 out of 10 provinces? A man whose party he rules by decree but has the largest number of opposition MPs in the National Assembly? So convince him to dialogue with members of the party rather than just speaking to Pastor Pole Pole and Fat Albert…2021 Zamfo
Lungu is everything that is wrong with Zambia and it is not the opposition!
OH! LUNGU IS IN STATE HOUSE AND WHERE IS HAZALUSA HAGAIN. I AM SURE RIGHT NOW HE IS ASLEEP IN HIS HOUSE AND HAVING A LOT OF WET DREAMS AND TOMORROW HE WILL COME TO TELL YOU THAT HE HAS BEEN TALKING TO TRUMP, FORGETTING THAT IT WAS A WET DREAM. HE IS WASTING TALK TIME IN HIS WET DREAMS.