Zambian authorities engaged in a systematic campaign of violence against opposition members, lawyers, journalists, and government critics in the period surrounding the August general election, according to a report released Monday by Human Rights Watch. The findings describe a climate of intimidation and repression that emerged after President Hakainde Hichilema secured a second term, an election that observers noted was marred by various irregularities.
The report details that police and military personnel were responsible for forcibly disappearing, arbitrarily detaining, beating, and threatening individuals perceived as dissenting voices. Human Rights Watch documented 14 specific cases of apparent enforced disappearance involving opposition members and supporters. Furthermore, the organization recorded 61 instances where detainees, their legal counsel, or family members alleged that physical abuse, including beatings, occurred during the arrest and detention process. The report concluded that these actions had a significant chilling effect on political and civic organizations.
Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, the deputy Africa director for Human Rights Watch, stated that the authorities must immediately halt the crackdown. She called for the government to ensure accountability for the abuses committed by security forces, provide necessary medical care for those in custody, and release all individuals who were arbitrarily detained. Budoo-Scholtz noted that many of the detained individuals were never formally charged, while other charges appeared to be politically motivated. Because the government has not disclosed the total number of people arrested or the specific charges brought against them, there are growing concerns that the actual number of detainees is higher than currently known.
Several opposition leaders remain in detention, including Brian Mundubile, who ran against Hichilema in the election. Mundubile is expected to appear in court later this week. The current situation follows earlier warnings from Amnesty International in August, which highlighted that Zambian authorities had intensified restrictions on the rights to peaceful assembly and association through the use of hastily passed laws. Additionally, the United Nations human rights chief raised concerns regarding the arrests of opposition officials just one week after the vote.
