HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN ZAMBIA WORSEN UNDER HICHILEMA – ZAMBIA WAKE UP
By Fox Reporter
ZAMBIA Wake Up (ZAWAPA) leader, Howard Kunda says the human rights situation in Zambia is worsening under President Hakainde Hichilema amid the visit by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Ireen Khan.
Khan is in Zambia to meet and discuss issues of freedoms with the Government, political parties, the civil society, media and other stakeholders.
Kunda, the immediate past Muchinga Member of Parliament, said the UN Special Rapporteur’s visit signals a red flag against Zambia regarding the human rights situation and escalating cases of rights abuse.
He says there was no doubt that human rights are being abused in Zambia under President Hichilema’s watch.
Kunda noted with sadness that people’s freedom of expression is being gagged as evidenced by arrests of several people with divergent views especially opposition political party leaders.
He insisted that the opposition should be allowed to freely check the Government in the best interest of democracy and rights that are enshrined in the republican constitution.
Kunda emphasised that the UPND regime won’t manage to return Zambia to a one-party state and demanded that the Government levels the playing field for all players.
“As we have heard the international community has now raised a red flag against Zambia over the human rights situation and that is why they are sending a representative to come and get the facts on the ground so that they can have a correct position. I think it is a welcome move by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations to send a representative so that they can come and hear facts on the ground regarding the human rights situation for themselves,” Kunda said.
“We have talked about these issues many times. We have been stopped from holding rallies, to speaking and giving divergent views. Do they want all of us to be UPND? We know that this is a free society that we chose for ourselves and enshrined human rights and freedoms in our republican constitution so that we can have a balanced society.”
“We can’t have a one-sided nation where the ruling party takes everything. This will be retrogressive to our nation. I think that this government has a duty to level the playing field for all political parties. Political players should be free so that we can have this Government checked and that is why we exist as opposition political parties,” said Kunda.