The government has refuted the contents of the report released by Amnesty International alleging that the Zambian people are being ruled by fear and repression.

This is contained in a statement issued to the media, by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, Permanent Secretary, Amos Malupenga.

He says the government of the Republic of Zambia categorically disputes the alleged findings of Amnesty International that the government restricts freedom of expression, association, and assembly.

Mr. Malupenga said Contrary to the assertion made by Amnesty International in its 2021 Report on Zambia, a vibrant civil society exists in Zambia, alongside a thriving independent media and an impartial judiciary that protects civil liberties and checks any possible excesses of the Executive.

He said the people of Zambia are free to criticise public officials, while opposition parties are allowed to conduct public meetings in accordance with the law and the public health guidelines due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Malupenga stressed that health guidelines are not unique to Zambia and it is, therefore, not true that people who engage in these activities are arrested for merely engaging in such.

“The alleged findings that many people have been arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression, opposition parties, and civil society organizations have been prevented from holding peaceful public assemblies and that the critical media outlets have been shut down are false,” he added.

“Even the assertions that several associations such as trade unions and political parties have had their certificates of a registration canceled and that a number of people have lost their lives often at the hands of the police, with few consequences for those suspected to be responsible, are out of context and should be disregarded, Mr. Malupenga said.”

He explained that the Zambian Government respects human rights and does everything within the confines of the law and that all the people who have been named in the report have been reasonably suspected to have broken the law and the due course of the law has been applied to ensure justice prevails.

Mr Malupenga has father assured the Zambian citizens and the international community that there is no cause for alarm and that the Government and its leadership is doing everything possible to ensure the country holds free and fair elections on August 12th, 2021.

The government has since urged the Zambian people to remain calm and understand that it is not unusual for some organizations like Amnesty International to cause panic when they anticipate that an election outcome is not likely to suit their preferences.

The clergy in Chinsali district in Muchinga province has called on Zambians to celebrate the life of the late first Republican President Kenneth Kaunda.

Chinsali Pastors’ Fellowship Chairperson Gideon Chibwe said it was important to remain positive and celebrate the life of Dr. Kaunda for he worked hard to better the entire nation.

Pastor Chibwe stated that Dr. Kaunda was a great man who has left a huge impact not only in Zambia but in the entire world.

He added that the late Dr. Kaunda also dedicated himself to preach peace and unity.

”As the clergy in Chinsali, we urge residents to celebrate the life of this gallant man who fought for the liberation of Africa and we need to continue preaching peace and unity which our founding father preached,” he said.

The clergyman further said Zambian citizens should also pray and fast for God’s intervention during this 21 days of mourning noting that it was only God who can intervene in any situation that the country maybe passing through.

He further called on Chinsali residents to conduct themselves in a manner that befits the call of Christianity during the national mourning.

And Reverend in charge at the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) Chinsali Main Congregation, Harrison Silungwe told ZANIS in an interview that the church has lost a leader who contributed a lot to its improvement.

Rev. Silungwe stated that even in his old age, Dr. Kaunda was still a committed member of the UCZ.

“We saw him going to church at all times and preach peace and unity in all his life,” he said.

He added that the 21 days of mourning the late former president is very cardinal to every citizen.

He said Zambians should therefore use this time to reflect on the work that Dr. Kaunda did in the entire country.

“Let us pray for the works our founding father did and pray that his soul rests in peace and that the country should continue enjoying the peace and unity our forefather fought for,” he said.

Rev. Silungwe further said it is important for each Zambian to realize that peace is cardinal hence it should prevail in all the situations that the country is experiencing.

He has since urged all well-meaning Zambians to pray and fast for the nation so that peace, love and unity can prevail.

“If peace, love and unity are lost, it will be very hard to bring it back,” Rev. Silungwe said.

Meanwhile, former National Guidance and Religious Affairs Minister Godfridah Sumaili, called on the clergy to promote messages of peace and unity as the country mourns the first President of Zambia.

Rev. Sumaili said there is need for the country to uphold the unity of purpose that Dr. Kaunda promoted.

“I would like to further thank the clergy across the country for offering guidance to the citizenry especially as the nation is going through a hard time following the death of our founding father Dr Kaunda,” she said.

Rev. Sumaili further called on Zambians to come together and mourn the late President in a peaceful manner.

Amnesty International has warned that Zambia is on “the brink of a human rights crisis.”

The organisation is alleging that President Edgar Lungu is using repressive tactics to win another term in elections set for August 12.

Zambia has established a good track record of holding scheduled elections since the re-introduction of multi-party democracy in 1991 by founding president, the late Kenneth Kaunda, who had presided over a one-party system for over two decades.

Dr Kaunda accepted defeat after 27 years in power and retired.

When Dr Kaunda died aged 97 earlier this month, he was widely hailed as a statesman and a revered fatherly figure.

Zambia, a country of 18 million people, won a reputation as a stable democracy in a continent where elections often lead to conflict.

Now, Amnesty International is accusing President Lungu of trying to reverse those gains.

“The human rights situation has drastically deteriorated,” said Amnesty of the rule of President Lungu, 64, who first took power in 2015 after winning a disputed snap election to finish the term of populist leader Michael Sata who died in office.

President Lungu was then elected to a full five-year term in 2016, although his main rival again alleged fraud.

This will be President Lungu’s last term in office if he wins, and Amnesty International is alleging that he is using repression to ensure victory.

“What we have seen in Zambia, especially in the past five years, is an increasingly brutal crackdown on human rights, characterized by brazen attacks on any form of dissent,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa.

In a report titled “Ruling by fear and repression,” the human rights organization says Zambia has seen a number of police killings, arrests of opposition leaders and the shutting down of media outlets amid “a climate of fear and impunity.”

Social media activists are not safe, said Amnesty International, citing the case of a 15-year-old who is awaiting trial on three counts of criminal libel after criticizing Lungu on Faceboook.

President Lungu has previously denied stifling the opposition and pledged free and fair elections during a meeting with foreign diplomats earlier this year.

The Zambian president faces more than a dozen other contenders but his main rival remains Hakainde Hichilema who he narrowly defeated in 2015 and 2016.

President Lungu has assured the nation of his health after collapsing earlier this month.

Below is the report highlights

Killings and brutal crackdown against dissent set the tone for August election

Years of intensifying repression have pushed Zambia to the brink of a human rights crisis ahead of August’s presidential elections, Amnesty International said today.

What we have seen in Zambia, especially in the past five years, is an increasingly brutal crackdown on human rights, characterized by brazen attacks on any form of dissent
Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa

In a new report, “Ruling by fear and repression”, the organization details how the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly have come under increasing attack particularly over the past five years, with opposition leaders and activists jailed, independent media outlets shut down, and at least five people killed by police since 2016.

Zambia’s ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party, led since 2016 by President Edgar Lungu, will seek re-election on 12 August. The PF came to power in 2011, after Michael Sata’s victory. Sata later died in office in 2014, and the human rights situation has drastically deteriorated under Lungu’s presidency.

“What we have seen in Zambia, especially in the past five years, is an increasingly brutal crackdown on human rights, characterized by brazen attacks on any form of dissent,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa.

“Opposition leaders, journalists, media houses and activists have all been targeted, and speaking out against allegations of government corruption or abuse has become more dangerous. Protests have been stopped or dispersed with unlawful and sometimes lethal force, and people who speak up against allegations of corruption have been intimidated and harassed.”

Amnesty International’s report documents the deterioration of Zambia’s human rights record over the past five years, when president Lungu came into power, and outlines how censorship, excessive use of force by the police, arbitrary arrests and detention have created a climate of fear and impunity.

Public meetings by political opposition and civil society are largely restricted on the grounds of public security or managing the spread of Covid-19. Two critical media outlets have been shut down by the government over the last five years.

Suppression of freedom of expression

Zambia has experienced a systematic erosion of the right to freedom of expression in the past five years. Authorities have abused the law to criminalize peaceful dissent, charging critics with a wide range of offences including criminal defamation, incitement of public disorder and sedition.

Opposition leaders, journalists, media houses and activists have all been targeted, and speaking out against allegations of government corruption or abuse has become more dangerous
Deprose Muchena

For example, on 9 March 2020, police arrested a 15-year-old boy in Kapiri Mposhi, and charged him with three counts of criminal libel after he allegedly criticized President Lungu on Facebook. He is currently awaiting trial.

Opposition leaders have also faced retaliation for criticizing the authorities.

In 2017, the leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Saviour Chishimba, was arrested and detained for several days, after he criticized the government’s decision to invoke a state of emergency in response to a spate of arson attacks in the capital Lusaka.

In 2019, the leader of Patriots for Economic Progress (PEP), Sean Tembo, was arrested on a charge of defamation for questioning the purchase of a US$400 million presidential jet, amid a national debt crisis.

Media outlets have also come under attack during Lungu’s presidency.

In June 2016, one of the country’s leading daily newspapers, The Post, was forcibly shut down and liquidated over a disputed tax debt.

The closure of the newspaper, which was known for its critical investigative work against government, was preceded by state-sanctioned brutality against staff.

In April 2020, the government revoked the broadcasting license of the country’s leading private television station, Prime TV. No specific reasons were given for the move, but the Independent Broadcasting Authority stated that the action had been taken in the public interest.

Police killings

The crackdown has also led to an escalation of the excessive use of force by the police, which has been fatal in some cases. On 22 December 2020, police shot dead two unarmed people at a gathering of opposition supporters.

Several people had gathered to show their solidarity with Haikainde Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), who had been summoned for questioning at police headquarters in Lusaka. State prosecutor Nsama Nsama, who was not part of the gathering, was shot dead while buying a meal at a nearby restaurant, while Joseph Kaunda, a UPND supporter, was shot by police as they dispersed the crowd. A day earlier, government had publicly urged police to use ‘any means necessary to maintain law and order’ when dealing with opposition supporters.

An investigation by Zambia’s Human Rights Commission established that the order to shoot came from Lusaka Police Commissioner Nelson Phiri, who was removed from service but remained uncharged at the time of writing the report.

In 2018, student Vesper Shimuzhila died when police threw a tear gas canister into her room, during their violent dispersal of a student protest. Her family were given $25,000USD in compensation but no officer has been charged.

Such impunity is now entrenched in Zambia.

One human rights defender said:

“There has been such a rise in the levels of impunity that it now seems like a bottomless pit. There does not seem to be any bounds in terms of impunity and violations.” A number of other people have also lost their lives at the hands of state and non-state actors.

“Zambian authorities must commit to respecting, protecting, promoting and ensuring full respect for human rights before, during and after the 12 August election. The government must also end impunity for past human rights violations,” said Deprose Muchena.

“There is evidence of senior government officials fueling the violence in Zambia over the past five years by the police. Anyone suspected to be responsible for human rights violations must be brought to justice in fair trials.”

Amnesty international is calling on the authorities to immediately end the crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and the removal of all unlawful restrictions on the rights of people in Zambia to freely receive and disseminate independent information and express peaceful dissent among others.