Pilato
48hrs LATER NO CHARGE FOR TAYALI
The dramatic arrest of Mr TAYALI was very unnecessary and now his prolonged detention without being charged is another scandal. We are actively interested to know why Mr Tayali was arrested in that dramatic way when in fact he could have been summoned by the police. Why did the police feel it was appropriate to break into Mr Tayali’s yard and pick him? Did they issue him with a call out and he refused to report himself? What is the excuse for their detaining of Mr Tayali without formally charging him? This is past 48hrs now, what is the position?
The statement by Mr Kajoba regarding the arrest of Mr Chilufya Tayali was not different from what Mr Kanganja would have said. The tone of that statement did not represent any change or difference in the way the police dealt with citizens with critical views. It is therefore clear that Mr Kajoba does not have any intentions of being better than his predecessor. We will therefore regard Mr Kajoba in the same way we did Mr Kanganja. We may not agree with Mr Tayali, we may not even like him as a person or like his views BUT we do subscribe to the ideals of human dignity even if the human in question is Mr Tayali.
There seems to be a big rift between Presidential pronouncements and the implementation of those pronouncements by the police. The president has in clear terms expressed his respect for human rights and freedoms. He said this in his inauguration speech and he has constantly emphasized his commitment to upholding of these rights while he is president. The Zambia Police under ba Kajoba seems to be doing the exact opposite of what the president says to the public. The question we ask ourselves is, Is Mr Kajoba deliberately disregarding the president’s position on the respecting of human rights? Why does he still have his job if that is the case?
If you cannot charge Tayali today or give him bond, release him. Let him go back home while you figure out what to do with him.