UKA DEMANDS THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF JOURNALIST, THOMAS ZGAMBO AND TWO KALULUSHI BROTHERS DETAINED FOR DEFAMING PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA
.…calls on the Human Rights Commission to put a stop to the violation of human rights perpetrated by the New Dawn Government.
LUSAKA, Thursday, October 31, 2024
The United Kwacha Alliance-UKA demands the immediate and unconditional release of journalist, Thomas Allan Zgambo who has been in detention for over a fortnight at Lusaka’s Ridgeway Police Station on criminal defamation charges.
We are also dismayed by the detention of 22-year-old, Elijah Kaumba along with his 26-year-old elder brother, Ernest Kaumba of Kalulushi, who has been in police custody for 27 days for allegedly defaming President Hakainde Hichilema.
We wish to categorically state that the extrajudicial punishment of journalists and citizens with divergent views is not provided for in the laws of the land and is a brazen act of state harassment and intimidation.
It is hypocritical for President Hichilema to allow the police to continue detaining citizens for longer than necessary on bondable offenses when the Head of State has made public pronouncements at various fora, to the effect that accused persons arrested at 10:00 hours should be admitted to bond by 14:00 hours.
UKA will not sit idly by and watch such excesses being perpetrated by powerful people connected to the President in Acting Auditor General, Ron Mwambwa, and State House Special Assistant, Lawrence Mwananyanda, who are the complainants in Mr Zgambo’s case.
We challenge Dr. Mwambwa and Mr. Mwananyanda to seek justice from the courts of law if they feel aggrieved with Mr Zgambo instead of abusing state power.
It is strange that President Hichilema’s lieutenants have made it a habit to sue members of the general public when they have all the power in the country.
It is also unfortunate that Mr Zgambo is now a victim of state harassment when he fought hard to ensure the UPND assumed office in the 2021 presidential and general elections.
We also find it appalling that the Kaumba brothers who are in their primes, were arrested in Kalulushi and transported to Lusaka where they have no relatives, for merely producing a Tik Tok video in which they are alleged to have defamed President Hichilema.
It is a blatant violation of human rights and abuse of state power for the police to detain the Kaumba brothers for 27 days without arraigning them before the courts of law while the Human Rights Commission –HRC remains silent. We call upon HRC to stand for the people of Zambia and to put a stop to the human rights abuses perpetrated by the New Dawn Government.
We commend the Law Association of Zambia-LAZ for taking interest in Mr Zgambo’s case in the pursuit for justice and the rule of law.
In conclusion, we would like to call on all Zambians to be vigilant and to speak out against the abuse of state power and human rights violations by the New Dawn Government.
Jackson Silavwe
Chairperson Communications
United Kwacha Alliance-UKA