DR SAMPA DIDN’T HAVE LEGAL RIGHT TO PROTEST AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY – POLICE
Zambia Police Service Spokesperson, Rae Homoonga, says Officers did not receive notification from Dr. Brian Sampa and his colleagues on their intention of having public procession day.
Sampa and his five colleagues were arrested and detained for more than 4 hours at Kabwata Police in Lusaka, Friday, for holding a marching protest denouncing homosexuality in Zambia.
But Hamoonga clarifies that contrary to claims from Sampa that he had notified the Police, Officers only received a notification from an Organisation called City Mothers.
He explains that the organization notified Police of their intentions to match on 15th September, 2022 from Civic Centre to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security to present a petition to register their displeasure of the recently reported cases of Sodomy.
Hamoonga however notes that on 14th September, 2022 the conveners of the procession informed Police that they will not to go ahead with their procession citing reason that they have been infiltrated with persons that do not mean well.
He states that they further requested Police that they will hold their procession at a later date to be made known at a later time.
Hamoonga says Sampa and five others had no legal right to hold a public procession in a public place without officially notifying the police, hence were warned and Cautioned for the offence of Unlawful Assembly.
Hamoonga states that the rights to Assemble or hold Public Processions are not absolute as there are legal provisions that one needs to fulfil before exercising these rights.