Zambia Police Service: Why Is Sedition Reserved Only for the Opposition? Justice for Hon. Binwell Mpundu
By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
Once again, the Zambia Police Service has put on full display its mastery of selective justice, with the politically charged arrest of Hon. Binwell Mpundu, an independent Member of Parliament for Nkana. His supposed crime? Voicing an opinion that citizens should defend themselves if the police continue to fail in protecting them from violent UPND cadres. Sedition? Really? This brazen overreach reeks of a system weaponized against dissenters, raising serious questions about the police’s impartiality — or lack thereof — in Zambia.
The Dangerous Double Standards of Justice
While Hon. Mpundu is being dragged through the mud for speaking truth to power, UPND youths from North-Western Province have hurled unthinkable threats at former President Edgar Lungu without consequence. Let us be clear: these were not mere words. They were direct incitements to violence — words that, in any functioning democracy, would result in immediate arrest and prosecution. Among the revolting threats made:
Warnings to Dr. Lungu to “watch his steps” and insults branding him “that idiot.”
Vile suggestions that he be taken to the North-Western Province for circumcision — a grotesque, degrading slur intended to humiliate.
Calls for violence, promising to teach him a lesson that would make him remember “the time his mother cried giving birth to him.”
Explicit threats of slaughter, with offers to kill him if he dared to challenge President Hichilema.
These were not offhand remarks. They were chilling, violent threats targeting a former head of state. Where was the Zambia Police Service then? Silent. Deaf. Blind. Yet here we are — charging Hon. Mpundu with sedition for daring to express frustration with the unchecked violence of UPND cadres.
Why Is Sedition Only for Opposition Voices?
Hon. Mpundu’s case exposes the rot at the core of our justice system. It is not about law and order; it is about political suppression. How many more times will we see opposition figures targeted with sedition charges while those aligned with the ruling party roam free, spewing violence and hate with impunity?
Consider these glaring questions:
Why is sedition a one-sided weapon, wielded only against those critical of the government?
What makes UPND cadres immune to the law while ordinary Zambians are thrown behind bars for far less?
Has Zambia’s justice system become a mere extension of the UPND’s political machinery, trampling dissent rather than protecting rights?
Justice Must Be Blind — Not a Political Tool
Selective justice is not just unfair; it is a direct assault on democracy. The Zambia Police Service must uphold the rule of law without fear or favor. If sedition applies to Hon. Mpundu for a legitimate call to action in defense of public safety, then why have the hate-filled, violence-promoting UPND cadres gone untouched? The law is clear — threats of violence and incitement are punishable. Enforce it equally or lose all credibility.
Justice for Hon. Binwell Mpundu is about more than one man. It is about whether Zambia will continue down the dangerous road of politically motivated persecution or reclaim the principles of fairness, equality, and impartiality.
We demand that the Zambia Police Service step back from its partisan bias, uphold the Constitution, and stop being complicit in the erosion of our democracy.
#JusticeForMpundu
#SelectiveJusticeIsInjustice
#RuleOfLawForAll