By Sean Tembo PEP President
1. As Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) we are shocked by revelations that former President Edgar Lungu’s Barberman Mr. Shabby Chilekwa was tortured by the Zambia Police whilst he was in their custody. We are further alarmed by the statement from Zambia Police Service Spokesperson Mr. Rae Hamoonga that the Police will not comment on the torture of Mr. Shabby Chilekwa and that they will leave it to the Human Rights Commission to issue a comment. Additionally, we are perplexed with the impunity exhibited by the Zambia Police in refusing to adhere to a High Court order issued by Judge Bowa for Mr. Shabby Chilekwa to be presented before Court yesterday at 16hrs, and instead decided to transport him to Kaoma, ostensibly in order to hide the clear signs of torture which are said to be visible on his body.
2. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we wish to challenge President Hakainde Hichilema to honestly tell the nation whether it is his Government’s policy to re-introduce torture of suspects who are in Police custody. If President Hichilema tells us that his Government has not adopted a policy of torturing suspects who are in custody, then we demand that all the Police and Intelligence Officers who were involved in the torture of Mr. Shabby Chilekwa be interdicted from duty and prosecuted accordingly.
3. If it is President Hakainde Hichilema’s position that his Government has decided to re-introduce the torture of suspects who are in custody, just like they recently introduced a shoot-to-kill policy for suspects, then the President needs to inform the nation which other adverse policies his Government intends to re-introduce. Does he also intend to re-introduce the assassination of political opponents and critics? Does President Hichilema also intend to re-introduce mysterious disappearances of citizens who challenge him? It is important for the President to inform us of all the adverse security protocols which he intends to introduce so that we can prepare ourselves accordingly.
4. As Patriots for Economic Progress we also bemoan the loud silence exhibited by foreign missions to Zambia including the American Embassy, British High Commission, European Delegation etcetera, in the face of these blatant human rights violations. Our regret further extends to once renowned defenders of human rights in Zambia such as Laura Miti, Pilato, Pamela Chisanga, Linda Kasonde etcetera who are now sheepishly quiet in the face of gross human rights violations by President Hakainde Hichilema and his new dawn administration.
5. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we however wish to commend the Catholic Church in general and Archbishop Alick Banda in particular for having the fortitude of mind to raise a concern about gross human rights violations by President Hichilema’s administration, especially at a time when the majority of religious and traditional leaders are tripping all over themselves in showering Hakainde Hichilema with unwarranted praises in an effort to seek personal favors from him.
6. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we wish to put it on record and assure the people of this great nation that, as a political party, we shall always stand firm and challenge the Government of the day on any abuse of authority or violations of human rights, regardless of whether we like the victims or not. This we shall do at any expense whatsoever, even if we ourselves become targets of President Hakainde Hichilema’s harassment and persecution. That is because the democratic virtues of this Republic far outweigh any individual considerations, and therefore no expense should be spared in protecting these democratic virtues.
Thank You and May God Bless the Good Citizens of the Republic of Zambia and Our Ailing Nation.
Rae Hamoonga….. that says a lot without saying anything.
It`s all hearsay….no facts…..I am waiting for comment from Human Rights Commission
Accordingly, I am compelled not to comment further on this topic and ignore this man who to me is trying to take advantage of the confusion to seek attention. Kaili Kabwata ticket did not work, so finding other ways.
Police in Zambia to me don’t mean anything apart from tools that can be used by any current sitting in political party to advance their own intimidation. PF was the same and the next government after UPND will do the same. We need to change and hold police men and women accountable for their actions and inactions. UPND has just accelerated the gear from where PF left off. We really need proper leadership beyond emotions!
Rotten to the core! Won’t miss an opportunity to bring in tribalism because that’s your philosophy in stock. You can’t have a discussion based on facts. God, you sicken me!
Toll fees to increase by 100%. Whats your take Sean?.
2.8 million lies seems to be well packaged.
You promised to leave this stage if you failed to 1% of the vote in Kabwata – nobody forced you to make that commitment! Not even did you make 0.0001 %, but here u r again, making unsubstantiated noise, on behalf you pay masters?
I thought adults who lie were only found in America’s Republican Party, the GOP but no,l was wrong.
Shaun, the foreign missions are quite cos they know your headlines are false, lies & those missions are respectable, they don’t listen to bitter,defeated politicians like you.
Archbishop Alick Banda, he is a PF cadre in sheep’s clothing. Most of us still recall how he used to frequent State House to collect brown envelopes from that rejected former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.. so he is one of those liars masquerading as a man of God..
You told people you are going to resign if you don`t get the required percent of votes you wanted. what are you still doing? fulfill your words boss !!! you sound like a somebody who forgets what they say and do. how you found yourself back in Zambia from Botswana, nobody knows, you pretend as though nothing happened, even this lying of you resigning. Please show some remorse
Even me , I could have gotten more votes than loser , ST………..
Even if I landed in zambia in the morning and campaigned just for one day………
ST thinks making noise on the Internet will win him votes…….
Get the facts right. Please do not politicise serious crimes of graft. Yes police brutality is an issue everywhere that deserves strong condemnation from all concerned citizens. PEP needs to research a bit. Get back to the history of Zambia. Police brutality including Police shooting to kill has happened right under the nose of every government of the day. Amnesty international has done a report on it.
https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aa0980.html
Stick to the facts and maintain integrity to bring about the change that you want.
Blaming Sean for his failures is a big mistake and a serious element of d.ull minds. Argue against what he has said than concentrate on whether he got zero votes in Kabwata or everywhere. Where is it written that if you get zero votes in an election then you forfeit the right to talk on issues. Let us be mature and serious and work to uphold the tenets of democracy in the country. What Sean has raised here are serious issues not just for the common citizens but even for the President. But simple minds would rather talk about Sean’s zero votes.
#9 adviser
February 11, 2022 At 5:28 pm
“Blaming Sean for his failures is a big mistake and a serious element of d.ull minds. Argue against what he has said than concentrate on whether he got zero votes in Kabwata or everywhere. Where is it………”
Anyone with zero votes can go an comment on the Internet……..
Now if everyone with no votes came to comment on the Internet, who will have time to to read every persons opinion ??????
There simply would be no time at all……….
That is why only people who have archived something in public service found be let to be talking……at every Tom and dick, even those with zero votes.
Truly the story of torture is disturbing. What is worrying is the way the Police is coming out. They aint refuting the whole torturing saga. That only leaves the uninformed mind to speculate that they might be some element of truth in the torture incidence. Which is sad for a democratic country
Yeah tripping over themselves indeed.
If Zambians will keep quiet when the dictator brutalize Zambians in an effort to siphon information out of citizens then we are headed for destruction. BAAL cannot answer your questions. The members of the diplomat corps will not reprimand baal because just a few days ago, these were rubbing shoulders with baal. Torture concentration camps started even before he mistakenly became president. Abduction started with the Hatembos. Are you safe, hell no. Those tuma organizations and individuals you mentioned are baal’s disciples similar to those who think 6months is not time at all to judge the terrorist.
Those tuma organizations and individuals you mentioned are baal’s disciples similar to those who think 6months is not time at all to judge the terrorist.
Today it’s on Chi
And here is this useless Tembo guy again. No proof, not a shred of evidence, why is any media outlet waste one second of time and one millimeter of column space to this TOTAL NOBODY???
This torture thing is strange in some way, but not very strange, as I have been a victim of public defamation done by security officers. PF in their campaign promises had brought up an issue of a people driven constitution, but instead we ended up with special killer, eligible defamers etc. Right now I’m being defamed by officers in kalingalinga, who claim to be C5 officers. This has been going on since January 2013. We are circulated nude in public and the defamers even boast of sourcing videos from Boko Haram, which they edit and use in public defamation. How did Zambia end up with special citizens? Eligible to commit human rights violations? The saddest part is that PF is gone, but it’s defamers have remained on the streets and are busy integrating with UPND cadres. What happened to…
#5 Is that true? But these guys had vowed to dismantle the toll gates once in power? Another 2.8million lies?
Saying that in PF it happened defeats the purpose of removing PF from office… going circles… come 2026 it’s not a problem because even in Upnd it used to happen.
Sean Zero shut up. What do you know, where were you when we had numerous human rights violations under the PF. We don’t like your Nashala neka Party, which starts with the name Patriotic, we are now allergic to any Party that starts with the word Patriotic. Which Patriots, Zero Tembo. Your ever critical stance against the Government will not grow your Party or earn you any votes except for Zero Votes off course.
This country is going to the dogs for as long as we have extreme dullness expressed by people who cannot debate issues. We are yet to see what we have not seen in this country. All past presidents will look like saints. Hakainde has conned our great nation. Some people call these lies. We have just raised a dictator that we may find very difficult to remove from office.