TWENTY-NINE national and International civil society groups and individuals say the killing of prosecutor Nsama Nsama and UPND member Joseph Kaunda and the police’s heavy-handed tactics to manage public gatherings speak to the growing levels of political intolerance and partisan policing in Zambia.
The organisations and internationalists are Chapter One Foundation, Amnesty International, Southern African Human Rights’ Defenders Network and endorsed by Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Pan-African Lawyers Union, SADC Lawyers Association, Advancing Rights in Southern Africa Programme, Freedom House, Human Rights Institute of South Africa, African Defenders, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Mozambique, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Civil Society Constitution Agenda, (Zambia), and Centre for Human Rights Education Advice and Assistance, (Malawi).
Others are Friends of Angola, Advocate and Pan-Africanist Don Deya, human rights activist (Malawi) Victor Mhango, Chidi Anslem Odinkalu (Nigeria), Percy Makombe (South Africa), Wesley Mwafulirwa, (Malawi), Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh, (South Africa), Tiseke Kasambala (Malawi), Abdul Noormohamed (Kenya), Jeggan Grey-Johnson, (South Africa), Martin Masiga (Uganda), Nikiwe Kaunda (South Africa), Mooya Nyaundi (Zimbabwe), Muzi Masuku (Eswatini), Washington Katema, (Zimbabwe) and Fidelis Mudimu (South Africa).
In a joint statement, the organisations and individuals called on Zambian authorities to desist from excessive use of force.
They stated that the Zambian government must launch a prompt, independent, impartial,
effective, and transparent investigation into the killings of two people by security forces during a peaceful assembly to offer solidarity to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema on December 23.
Nsama, a state prosecutor who was buying a meal at a restaurant across his office, and Kaunda, who was walking nearby, were killed after police fired live ammunition to disperse Hichilema’s supporters during the peaceful solidarity gathering.
They stated that the authorities must ensure the outcome of any investigation is made
public and Nsama and Kaunda’s killers brought to justice in fair trials and that the victims are granted access to justice and effective remedies including reparations.
They stated that the Zambian government had legal obligations to respect, protect, and promote human rights and to investigate any allegations of violations and bring to justice suspected perpetrators.
They stated that the killing of Nsama and Kaunda and the police’s heavy-handed tactics to manage public gatherings speak to the growing levels of political intolerance and partisan policing in Zambia.
They stated that the killings also demonstrated contempt with which Zambian authorities continue to show total disregard for human rights, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
They stated that it was deeply concerning that live ammunition was used when there was no
imminent threat to life or property.
“We call on the Zambian authorities to desist from excessive use of force and to invest in training law enforcement officers in crowd control methods that respect human rights and dignity. We also condemn in the strongest terms the use of threatening and violent language by the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja and the Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo, who, ahead of Hichilema’s scheduled appearance warned UPND supporters against accompanying their leader, stating that police would ‘deal decisively with all those who would want to cause public disorder’ and use ‘any means necessary to maintain law and order’,” reads the statement. “This rhetoric has the potential to embolden police violence against defenceless people.”
They called on the Zambian authorities to end attacks on human rights and to allow people to freely exercise their human rights including peaceful assembly and expression.
They also called on the international community to pay attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Zambia, and to put pressure on the authorities to end growing crackdown on human rights in the country.
They stated that the fatal shootings of Nsama and Kaunda must not be seen in isolation stressing that they were part of a wider crackdown on individuals’ rights to life, association, movement and public assembly in Zambia.
They stated that in the last five years alone, several people have died at the hands of security forces or as a result of political violence without suspected perpetrators being identified and held criminally liable.
They stated that as Zambia heads to what looks like a hotly contested general election next year, “these violations might intensify or worsen, further stoking political tension and leaving the country on the cusp of large-scale violence”.