TORTURE: ´Stop treating Zambians like common criminals´
…Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba asks President Hichilema to act on torturers
17th Nov 2022
“What is worse now is suspects are now being tortured while in custody starting from Shabby Chilekwa to Chilufya Tayali… Zambia´s democratic credentials are now in total tatters under President Hichilema,” said Ambassador Mwamba.
By KBN Reporter.
Presidential aspirant Emmanuel Mwamba has asked President Hakainde Hichilema to instruct state police to stop treating ordinary citizens like common criminals over civil matters.
Ambassador Mwamba also reminded Mr Hichilema to ´practice wat he preached´ when he assumed office last August when he said police must never arrest people without investigations, nor hold them longer than 48 hours in jail once arrested.
The former African Union (AU) Permanent Representative for Zambia was speaking on KBN TV with host Kennedy Mambwe on Thursday night on the heels of the highly controversial arrest and brutalisation of opposition leader Chilufya Tayali.
On Sunday night, state police broke down doors and arrested Tayali in full view of his Ethiopian wife and tod daughter for alleged sedition and defaming Mr Hichilema.
Ambassador Mwamba said a pattern has been set under Mr Hichilema´s presidency where everyone criticising him is thrown in jail, arrested without bond, and held in police custody beyond the stipulated 48 hours.
“What is worse now is suspects are now being tortured while in custody starting from Shelby Chilekwa to Chilufya Tayali… Zambia´s democratic credentials are now in total tatters under President Hichilema,” said Ambassador Mwamba.
Mr Mwamba, one of the eight aspirants for leadership of the main opposition Patriotic Front said in the case of Tayali, President Hichilema must learn from Kenya´s new President H.E William Ruto when it comes to forgiveness and firmness.
Below are some major take aways from the interview:
• Kenya´s President William Ruto has said don’t arrest people for insulting me. A policeman was suspended for arresting a person who defamed President Ruto by calling him a dog even when the policeman followed the archaic law.
• Chilufya Tayali is a known figure arrested several times, he must have been handled with caution and not tortured, everyone else must be handled gently in Zambia because we are equal before the law
• Its choreography for President Hichilema to say one thing as police do different. President Hichilema is complicit to the arrests.
• Zambians must rise against President Hichilema´s decision to allow the total break down of the law when he allowed accounting firms he is associated to to audit Zambia´s military departments for the first time since independence against the constitution of Zambia.
• State police must treat Tayali as a person with useful information to resolving a crime and not a criminal.
• The Zambian parliament must proceed with plans to impeach President Hichilema for various breaches of the constitution as soon as possible so that he knows that he is not above the law.
The full interview is available on KBN TV with CEO Kennedy Mambwe.
Source: KBN TV 279 on DSTV