OPEN LETTER TO THE ZAMBIA POLICE SERVICE
WHY HAVE YOU BECOME AN EXTENSION OF THE UPND PARTY?
31st January 2025
To:
The Inspector General of Police
Zambia Police Service
Lusaka, Zambia
Subject: Politically Biased Law Enforcement and Targeting of Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba
Dear Inspector General,
I write to you as a deeply concerned citizen, outraged by the Zambia Police Service’s increasing partisanship, selective law enforcement, and blatant persecution of opposition voices. Under your leadership, the police have abandoned their constitutional mandate to serve and protect all citizens without bias. Instead, the force has become an extension of the ruling UPND party, silencing critics while shielding those in power from accountability.
Your recent statement accusing Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba of manipulating police responses to seek political asylum is not only reckless but confirms what Zambians have long suspected—the Zambia Police Service is now a weapon of oppression, used to crush dissent and intimidate political opponents.
Why Are You Targeting Ambassador Mwamba?
Why is your office so eager to discredit Ambassador Mwamba instead of addressing the real human rights violations he has exposed? His submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights was not a fabrication—it was a factual, well-documented account of the persecution he has suffered at the hands of the Zambia Police, including:
Assault, torture, and inhumane treatment by law enforcement officers.
Malicious and politically motivated prosecutions designed to intimidate and silence him.
Continuous police harassment and surveillance aimed at restricting his freedom of expression and movement.
His case is not isolated—the Zambia Police’s systematic abuse of power has been extensively documented by credible international organizations, including:
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
The UNHCR Experts Report
The U.S. Country Report on Human Rights Practices
These reports highlight a disturbing pattern of increasing state-sponsored oppression in Zambia, including:
Escalating police brutality against opposition members, activists, and journalists.
Unlawful arrests and prolonged detentions without due process.
Suppression of free speech through intimidation, censorship, and persecution.
Instead of addressing these well-documented human rights violations, you have chosen to attack Ambassador Mwamba’s credibility in a desperate attempt to cover up the truth. Is the Zambia Police now in the business of silencing whistleblowers instead of investigating wrongdoing?
Blatant Double Standards in Law Enforcement
The most damning evidence of the Zambia Police’s political bias is the double standard in how the law is applied. While opposition figures are swiftly arrested, detained, and prosecuted on baseless charges, UPND officials and their supporters are allowed to break the law with impunity.
Consider the following:
UPND officials and cadres have openly threatened Ambassador Mwamba’s life, yet your office has taken no action—no statements condemning the threats, no arrests, no investigations.
When ruling party members incite violence or issue inflammatory remarks, the police remain silent.
When opposition members organize lawful gatherings, they are met with brutal police force, tear gas, and unlawful arrests.
Where is the justice? Where is the fairness? Why has the Zambia Police become a tool for political suppression rather than an independent enforcer of the law?
We Demand Answers:
1. Why have you failed to investigate and act on the threats against Ambassador Mwamba’s life?
2. Why is the police force being used as a political weapon to silence government critics instead of protecting all Zambians equally?
3. Why do UPND members get a free pass when they break the law, while opposition figures are immediately targeted?
4. Why are cases of police brutality and human rights abuses increasing under your leadership?
5. When will the Zambia Police regain its independence and stop operating under political influence?
Zambia Is Not a Dictatorship—Uphold the Constitution
Let this be clear—Zambia is not a one-party state. The Zambia Police does not exist to serve the political interests of the ruling party—it exists to protect all citizens, regardless of political affiliation.
If the police continue down this dangerous path of political persecution, they will completely lose the trust and confidence of the Zambian people. The citizens are watching, the international community is watching, and history will judge your actions.
We, the people of Zambia, demand that the police return to professionalism, fairness, and the impartial enforcement of the law.
Stop being used as a political weapon.
Start upholding the Constitution.
Investigate real crimes.
Defend democracy.
Failure to do so will not go unnoticed. The Zambian people will hold you accountable.
Sincerely,
Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma