Friday, March 29, 2024

President Lungu holds closed door meeting with a three man delegation from Amnesty International at State House

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President Lungu with Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty when he paid a Courtesy call on him at State House on Monday, October 16,2017 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA

President Edgar Lungu yesterday held a closed door meeting at State House with a three man delegation from Amnesty International where issues concerning death penalty, land acquisition and the rights for the poor majority were discussed.

Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda says President Lungu emphasized during the meeting that the organisation is free to come to Zambia and conduct their own research where allegations of human rights abuses have occurred including illegal detentions.

President Lungu noted that the team from Amnesty International is free to go anywhere in the country and report back to him with clear evidence of name and incident.

The President has also asked the organisation to work closely with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in either whistle blowing, addressing human rights concerns as well as making suggestions.

Mr. Chanda added that Mr. Lungu has further called on Amnesty International to provide its input in what the country looks forward to see in the amended public order act, constitutional amendments and generally the human rights regime in Zambia.

Meanwhile, the President has emphasized that on his part he does not think that death penalty is a deterrent and so he remains in a position where he wouldn’t sign a death penalty for any prisoner.

President Lungu added that he does not support the death penalty as a deterrent against the crimes .

Mr. Lungu said he alluded to the decision he made to commute the death sentences of over 330 people adding that the status currently remains like that.

However, debate can go on as to whether the constitutionality of the death penalty is constitutional or not bearing in mind that the case is before the Supreme Court, he said.

Mr. Lungu has further urged the Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International to not just examine allegations when the rich and powerful people are involved but to also work for the human rights of the poor as the rich and powerful have easy access to lawyers.

Amnesty International which was led by Secretary General from London Salil Shetty suggested that a matrix be created to assess where Zambia’s response on human rights is monthly, quarterly and yearly to which President Lungu was agreeable.

Meanwhile, President Edgar Lungu has also called on all institutions involved in land alienation to ensure that the rights of the poor in terms of land acquisition take precedence.

The President said no investor should displace people without taking care of their communal rights such as access to water and grazing land among other concerns.

President Lungu greets Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty when he paid a Courtesy call on him at State House on Monday, October 16,2017 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
President Edgar Lungu confers with Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty during courtesy call on the President at State House
President Edgar Lungu confers with Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty during courtesy call on the President at State House
President Edgar Lungu welcomes Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director: Campaigns during courtesy call on the President at State House
President Edgar Lungu welcomes Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director: Campaigns during courtesy call on the President at State House

21 COMMENTS

    • I have zero faith, so i don’t expect sky daddy to make the cold coffee on my desk piping hot if i pray to him.. i look to my microwave to perform that miracle. kikikikikikikik

    • As usual LT seems to ignore the human rights breaches and political intolerance implemented using PF violence.

      These organisations are firing warning shots at Lungu. And if does not listen all his stooges will point fingers at him when the time to exculpate himself comes.

      Lungu is most stup1d president Zambia has ever had in history. I want him out at all cost.

    • The simple fact is that Amnesty would not be visiting Zambia if they thought Jonathan & co. respected human rights.

      And why does Jonathan want the names of people to be reported back to him? So you can charge them with treason after Amnesty leave the country?

      Amnesty does not work for Lungu.

  1. Amnesty international should look at why Zambians are dying for luck of medicines while we are told lungu and his gang are stealing non stop and enriching themselves….

  2. Did Amnesty international get assurances from Dictator and Sadist Lungu that his illegitimate govt will stop persecuting his political opponents thru Prosecution? Nolles are being issued by the DPP like confetti. This shows that Lungu is using the Police,Courts, Prisons etc to punish his opponents. Can the Dictator stop it? We doubt it.

  3. One day, the truth shall come out and only truth will set all the Zambians free. The Animal farm story is turning out to be real, with the rich becoming too rich and the poor are made to eat from what is dropped from the table and leftovers. Government school are good but only go the poor, and so are all government facilities. Humanism out of the window, dictatorship welcomed at all costs. Rule of the law favours the rich and condemns the poor to hell. We welcome Amnesty International only if the have a an under-carpet cleaner.

  4. True Mr President, they should look at the human rights of the poor if they are genuinely serious about addressing the human rights violations.

    • Amnesty International and Human Rights Lawyers would have us all murdered in our beds if they had their version of freedom in their pink fluffy land imposed on us. These chaps support preachers of hate and extremism so why are we even entertaining them.

    • Spy marsha

      You have hit it right there…..the poor are being made poorer by theives like lungu who are enriching them selves , how can one earn an unexplained $2.3 million in 1 year in office ? , this plunder and looting by lungu and his gang are true violations of the rights of the poor to a decent living while we see them getting richer everyday….

  5. I have suffered gross rights violation, including my right to life, including those of my children and ai need to meet with the Amnesty to discuss my needs for an international justice mechanism to probe 10 Zambian lawyers and their accomplices who manufactured vexatious suits as money laundering methods on my UN benefit entitlement.mthey illegally deprived me of my belongings and reduced me to inhuman and degrading treatment.

    I urge the UNSC and the International Community to tell President ECL and his Opposition President HH to take this opportunity and include eradicating the obstacles that have clearly shown how Zambia is still lacking behind in as far as gender parity and eradicating gender violence by 2030, is concerned. They must accept to convene an international justice…

  6. No wonder threats from HECL have reduced. I hope we shall have a chance to read a Human Rights report on Zambia very soon

  7. Jonathan doesn’t give a damn about the poor, he’s in it for the money.
    He’s only concern is the bribes and traveling allowances.

  8. I find the works of AI rather selective and disappointing. Why pick on Zambia and offload all those accusations when AI has failed to tackle a serious dictator in North Korea. Yes how about the issue of Boko Haram, what are its contribution towards ending the killings of innocent citizens in Nigeria? There are some African presidents who have overstayed in their jobs but AI cannot be bothered. They always pick on easy meat. Sorry AI you have failed to win my heart in earnest but you are free to do your work because after all you get paid for it

  9. On the death warrant, I expect Amnesty International will be/ should have visited USA by now. We should keep it even though President Lungu is not in support of it. We all knew HH and Co. We’re going to walk the Treason because No way was the President going to agree that hanging! Although he is now abusing his freedom by failing to keep peace.

    On land acquisition, it’s quite right to point a finger at Western Investor who purchase large tracts of land to the cost of the indigenous and poor people. Usually via Government approval. Expect they’ll just circle the wagons on that one, since the West are the culprits.

    Zambia is the mist peaceful country in the world. Where we have welcomed Amnesty with warm hands that’s in no way for the organisation to start raising issues of…

    • Where we have welcomed Amnesty with warm hands that’s in no way an excuse for the organisation to start raising issues of the Election Petition by UPND, because the Majority decision was made and the Govn’t will remain in place as chosen by the people by democratic vote. If Amnesty touches on the 14 days,…….we might just have to run them out of town!

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