The latest State of Human Rights report by the US State Department on Zambia has revealed damning evidence of police killings and violations of human rights.
The damning 30 page Zambia 2022 Human Rights Report is the first major publication to cite the UPND government of gross human rights violations.
It shows that arbitrary deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings are taking place under the UPND administration
It says there were reports that some government agents used excessive force and committed arbitrary and unlawful killings.
The report showed that on June 2, police shot and killed Noble Mulenga, a day laborer at the Kateshi Coffee plantation in Kasama, during a worker protest.
Mulenga was among plantation workers who were demanding a salary increase and improved working conditions when police reportedly fired live ammunition at the protestors.
The report also stated that on February 20, police detained and reportedly tortured former President Lungu’s barber Shabby Chilekwa for allegedly killing a cadre during the 2019 parliamentary by-election campaigns in Kaoma in Western Province.
Chilekwa’s lawyer alleged police and UPND cadres tortured Chilekwa, causing hearing impairment that required medical care.
It noted that the Human Rights Commission could not verify the alleged torture due to lack of police cooperation.
“In addition, in June a video appeared in social media showing armed and uniformed army personnel slapping handcuffed youths for allegedly defaming the president. Military authorities initially justified the action, but later launched an investigation into the incident after a public outcry and demands from the HRC and other watchdog institutions,” it said.
The report revealed that according to human rights groups, arbitrary arrests and detention continued.
It says Police often arrested and detained suspects for questioning without promptly charging them.
“For example, on September 1, police in Lusaka arrested and detained opposition Patriots for Economic Progress party leader Sean Tembo for several days and denied him bond before formally charging him with hate speech. Police explained in a public statement that the delay was due to the unavailability of Tembo’s lawyer after Tembo’s insistence that he could only be charged in the presence of his lawyer.”
It added, “The HRC called the detention a violation of Tembo’s right to liberty and protection of the law.”
“On average, detainees spent an estimated six months in pretrial detention, which often exceeded the maximum length of the prison sentence for the detainee’s alleged crime.”
The report noted that contributing factors included inability to meet bail requirements, some offenses being nonbailable, trial delays, judges working on a circuit court basis, and trial continuances due to absent prosecutors and witnesses.
“In August lawyers representing former PF Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri and her co-accused, Shabby Chilekwa, protested their seven- month detention without charge. The two were arrested in February and eventually charged with the murder of a UPND cadre during the 2019 parliamentary by- election campaigns in Kaoma in Western Province.”
It also noted, “In January private television station KBN-TV released a leaked audio recording of a telephone conversation between President Hichilema’s political advisor Levy Ngoma and Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Permanent Secretary Josephs Akafumba in which they plotted to use state institutions to undermine an opposition party ahead of a parliamentary by-election, with Ngoma suggesting the scheme was sanctioned by Hichilema and Vice President Mutale Nalumango.“
“Authorities initially claimed the audio was fake and reportedly accused journalists of having tapped the pair’s telephones. Subsequently, police summoned KBN-TV station manager Petty Chanda and interrogated her regarding the alleged offense of “destroying evidence.” Although police did not arrest Chanda, the NGO Chapter One Foundation stated the incident undermined press freedom and the privacy rights of media employees.”
“In February, ruling UPND party parliamentarian Heartson Mabeta threatened News Diggers – an influential and popular private newspaper – with closure after it published a story citing UPND Secretary General Batuke Imenda as saying his party, which was elected on a campaign promise of job creation, did not sign contracts with anyone to promise them employment.”
Despite these damning revelations, we don’t expect any action from the US Government under a President in his dotage because the perpetrator is their puppet. They’ll stand by him like they did with Mobutu and the Apartheid regime of RSA until he’s lived his usefulness. One thing is certain, the man won’t have a peaceful retirement, just like many of his minions
For now he is safe until he looses his usefulness especially after this term. Funny thing they never learn these controlled leaders
This how reports are written with proper dates, incidents and names of people that have been detained. All the victims mentioned here have one thing in common. Sir names!
Lungu also said 7 out of 10 theives are………….
We never had such formal reports under pf rule. And some ugly monkeys will say we voted for change. You are right, you voted to change the peace and harmony we had under pf to the chaos and abuse under upnd. You deserve it f00Iish gullible Zambians
Am sure this is a fake report. There’s no such thing from the state department
I highly doubt the validity of this article. I may not be the biggest UPND fan, but this seems a bit of a stretch.
A POLICE FORCE INHERITED FROM THE PAST
THIS CULTURE GOES WAY BACK AND IS DEEPLY EMBEDDED
ANYONE WHO HAS HAD DEALINGS WITH THE POLICE KNOWS
THEY ARE ILL TRAINED AND UNPROFFESSIONAL
THIS ISSUE WILL NOT BE SOLVED ANYTIME SOON
NO MATTER WHO IS IN POWER
There is a “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Zambia” from the US Department of State alright, but it does not contain most of the abuses cited in this news article supposedly noted by the state department.
There is a “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Zambia” from the US Department of State alright, but it does not contain most of the abuses cited in this news article supposedly noted recently by the state department
USA and Europe won’t act against any perpetrators since BMW is still useful and serving them at their bidding.
Time shall come for accountability.
If this is not the artwork of Emmanuel Mwamba,then I would state that the report is dry and not influential. It is merely a detailed description of the daily political activities of life of any nation.It does not suggest a systemic pattern of state intent for human rights abuses. Isolated cases of abuse by individual law enforcement officers will be dealt with by exiting oversight institutions
The report could have been more informative and influential if it was set against particular benchmarks. What is Zambia’s ranking compared to other countries?,for example.It would stop dimwits like Deja Fooool ,Ka
Zulu and company from overblowing