HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CONDEMNS INVASION OF CATHOLIC BISHOP CLEMENT MULENGA’S OFFICE BY POLICE IN KABWE
By Leah Ngoma
The Human Rights Commission has strongly condemned the invasion of Catholic Bishop Clement Mulenga’s office by the police in Kabwe in an attempt to suppress former President Edgar Lungu’s enjoyment of the rights to freedom of Association and Assembly.
Commission Chairperson Dr. Pamela Sambo says this unfortunate incident is another example of arbitrary, unnecessary and disproportionate application of the Public Order Act.
Dr. sambo says this unacceptable manner of repressing constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms cannot be justified in a democratic state such as Zambia.
She has since called on the police to put an immediate stop to the continued arbitrary application of the Public Order Act, and respect everyone’s rights to freedom of Association and Assembly.
Dr. Sambo says while it is commendable that government has since tendered an apology to the catholic church for the police misconduct and violation of human rights through the invasion of the private meeting, the commission wants government to go beyond apologizing for the arbitrary police conduct in the Kabwe case.
PHOENIX NEWS