🇿🇲 BRIEFING | State House Rejects “Political Prisoners” Claims Ahead of Polls
State House has dismissed assertions that Zambia is holding political prisoners under President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration, arguing that those currently incarcerated are individuals convicted through established legal processes rather than victims of political persecution.
Chief Communications Specialist at State House, Clayson Hamasaka, said it was inaccurate to frame criminal convictions as political detention, insisting that Zambia’s justice system operates within clear statutory boundaries.
“Zambia is not a banana republic where anyone can be arrested without committing an offence,” Hamasaka said, stressing that arrests and prosecutions follow due process, beginning with police action and proceeding through the courts.
Hamasaka challenged critics to provide evidence of unlawful imprisonment, stating: “I would like to challenge anyone to come forward and show me one person who is in prison today without breaking the law.”
He maintained that those described as “political prisoners” have been convicted for offences under the Penal Code and other laws, not for political affiliation.
The remarks come amid renewed public debate over clemency and political tensions ahead of the August general elections. Civil rights activist Brebner Changala has appealed to President Hichilema to consider releasing politicians jailed for offences including corruption and sedition, arguing that such moves could reduce political temperature before the polls.
State House, however, warned against pressuring the Executive to intervene in judicial matters. Hamasaka said the President should not be “coerced to interfere with the functions of the Judiciary,” adding that the law “is blind” and does not recognise political status.
Hamasaka also invoked President Hichilema’s own past experience in opposition, arguing that the Head of State remains sensitive to abuses of state power. He said Hichilema “does not want any citizen to go through what he went through” during periods of political persecution, and has instead prioritised independent governance institutions and human rights protections.
He urged citizens to avoid narratives that could portray Zambia as vindictive or unstable, cautioning that such framing risks damaging the country’s standing internationally.
“Let us not create an environment that would damage Zambia’s standing to the international community,” Hamasaka said.
The statement underlines a growing national contest over how corruption cases, political imprisonment claims, and institutional independence will be interpreted in an election year where political rhetoric is sharpening across party lines.
© The People’s Brief | Tracey Shumba