THE Council of Churches in Zambia says the Judiciary needs brave and fearless men and women who can do anything to interpret the law in black and white in the manner lawyer John Sangwa does.
In a pastoral statement on advocate John Sangwa’s suspension from Zambian Courts, CCZ general secretary Fr Emmanuel Chikoya stated that it finds the action by the Judiciary to suspend Sangwa from practicing as a ploy to instill fear and intimidation in brave lawyers and other ordinary citizens capable of standing their ground in defending the Constitution of Zambia.
Fr Chikoya expressed disappointment with and condemned the action by the Judiciary to suspend Sangwa from representing his clients in the Zambian courts without according him the opportunity to be heard on any allegation of alleged misconduct.
“We find this action by the Judiciary as a ploy to instill fear and intimidation in brave lawyers and other ordinary citizens capable of standing their ground in defending the Constitution of Zambia,” he stated. “Mr Sangwa has committed no crime to warrant his suspension from appearing in Zambian courts.”
Fr Chikoya stated that Sangwa’s choice to disagree with the Constitutional Court judges on President Edgar Lungu’s eligibility to stand for elections next year was his democratic and constitutional right to defend the Constitution.
He stated that the Constitution must be adhered to and respected by every citizen, including the President and the Constitutional Court Judges.
“Constitutional Court judges are human beings like any other who are capable of making mistakes like any human being and if Mr Sangwa feels there was an error on the part of the Constitutional Court judges, his opinion must be respected without any intimidation,” Fr Chikoya stated. “If anything, our prayer as the Church is to have a Zambian Judiciary with more lawyers of Mr John Sangwa SC’s (State Counsel) calibre. The Judiciary needs brave and fearless men and women who can do anything to interpret the law in black and white in the manner Mr Sangwa does. Instead of victimizing him, the Judiciary should celebrate Mr Sangwa for defending its integrity by standing up to interpret the law as it is.”
Fr Chikoya stated that the behaviour by State institutions to intimidate individuals who choose to be on the side of justice and rule of law must come to an end.
He stated that Zambia was a democracy where all democratic tenets must be respected by all citizens, including State actors and office bearers.
“Criticism of court judgments is not unusual. It is part of an alert citizen’s job to analyse, and where necessary, to criticise the reasoning employed in court judgments. This is how courts of law must be held accountable for their decisions,” stated Fr Chikoya. “In countries where democracy is highly respected, such criticism cannot amount to professional misconduct or contempt of court. We therefore call for the lifting of Mr John Sangwa’s suspension with immediate effect and allow the celebrated lawyer exercise his rights without any further intimidation.”