Africa-Press – Zambia. FORMER Kabushi PF member of parliament Bowman Lusambo has written the EU over what he termed as systematic crackdown of political freedoms ‘being orchestrated” by {resident Hakainde Hichilema.
In a letter dated February 7, 2023 addressed to European Union Ambassador to Zambia Jacek Jankowski, Lusambo said since assuming office in 2021 President Hichilema has worked hard to clamp down on his perceived political rivals, limiting their freedoms to mobilise and free expression.
He claimed to have been a victim of “this rampant abuse” of political freedoms on a number of occasions when he served as member of parliament for Kabushi Constituency.
Lusambo said the police, while he was MP, stopped him from having indoor meetings with elected councillors. He wrote the letter following the arrest of PF presidential hopeful Chishimba Kambwili on Monday on unlawful assembly charge.
“Many opposition colleagues have been harassed, arrested, tortured and detained for unlawfully long periods in police stations located far away from their families by the Zambia Police at the instruction of President Hichilema and those close to his office. The arrest of Hon. Chishimba Kambwili for alleged unlawful assembly for simply addressing a handful of youths who visited his home is the latest in a series of abuses that opposition leaders have faced at the hands of President Hichilema,” said Lusambo. “Your Excellency, this administration has done a remarkable job in portraying to the international community that it is a supporter of democracy. During his address to the European Parliament in June last year, President Hichilema reiterated his administration’s commitment to put people’s interests, reforms, free media, the rule of law and democratic growth on the top of his political agenda. To the contrary, his administration is becoming increasingly intolerant, autocratic and speedily closing up space for political freedoms.
We wish to warn that if left unchecked, President Hichilema has all the ingredients to transform into a full blown dictator who will take away all the democratic gains Zambia has recorded since 1991 when the nation adopted a full multiparty participatory democracy system of governance. As friends of this administration, we therefore demand that the European Commission in Zambia publicly condemns the abuse of political freedoms taking place in Zambia. We also demand that the EU office in Zambia take steps to reprimand President Hichilema’s administration for its intolerance and failure to observe and respect human rights of opposition political leaders. Your Excellency, the Zambian people are expectant that your office will respond to our demands and help restore our democracy as you have always done since 1975 when the EU Delegation first opened its office in Zambia. Yours in defence of human rights and freedoms.”
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