Africa-Press – Zambia. Opposition Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee in Charge of Information and Publicity Raphael Nakacinda has remained defiant after his release from Police detention on bond.
Mr. Nakacinda was on Wednesday arrested for the offence of Defamation of the President and spent a night at Chelstone Police Station in Lusaka. Upon being released from Police Custody, the former Minister of Water Development in the previous PF Government vowed to continue providing checks and balances to the new Government.
Mr. Nakacinda said he will not be intimidated nor silenced by arrests. He accused the UPND Government of abusing law enforcement agencies to harass political rivals.
“I was honoured to spend a night in cells for the sake of our democracy. I was greatly honoured to spend a night in cells in defence of the sacred institution called the Judiciary. PF Members don’t be intimidated. Mushitile chalimo ama toothbrush, mulingile mwashitila chalimo ka sopo, pantu Ukufuma mumayanda yesu the only place Mr Hakainde Hichilema will take us is the cells. But we will not be intimidated by those antics,” Mr. Nakacinda told journalists outside the Police Station.
Mr. Nakacinda made fresh allegations that the UPND Government may start killing opponents when harassing them using law enforcement agencies does not achieve the intended purpose.
“They (police) even brought UPND thugs to try and impose them in my cell for whatever motive. What I know is that after they exhaust the idea of abusing the Police, abusing DEC, abusing ACC, the next thing they will attempt is to start eliminating people.”
“Yesterday I was defended by inmates (detainees) who stood up to those who were suggesting that they bring cadres of UPND in our cell for whatever motive. For us aluta continua, we are going to have a press briefing to give more details of what has happened from yesterday up to today and the media will be informed,” Mr. Nakacinda said. He also questioned why Police were attempting to get his fingerprints when he was not a convict.
“Of course there is this new phenomenon under the New Dawn wanting to incriminate people by collecting fingerprints. The whole delay from yesterday up to today has been trying to force me to give them finger prints. I mean fingerprints are only collected from convicts; you can’t collect fingerprints from a person who has not been convicted,” he said.
“I am innocent until proven guilty and I look forward to interrogating Mr. Hakainde Hichilema over the mate of defaming him because he is the one I believe who has complained so we will meet in court and I hope he can have the courage to come to court so that we can have a conversation over the defamation matter,” Mr. Nakacinda said.
Police in Lusaka on Wednesday recorded a warn and caution statement from Mr. Nakacinda aged 43 of farm number 1794 Kafue District for the offense of Defamation of the President contrary to section 69 of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
This is in regard to the statement he issued at High Court grounds on December 13, 2021 and the interview he had on one of the radio stations in Lusaka recently.
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