By SIMON MUNTEMBA
THE Police have been accused of continuously abusing, mistreating and violating the constitutional rights of Hakainde Hichilema to frustrate his campaigns while allowing other candidates to transverse the country.
In a complaint letter by lawyer Marshal Muchende to Attorney General Mr. Likando Kalaluka, UPND Secretary-General Batuke lmenda complained that Mr Hichilema’s constitutional rights of movement, expression and assembly were being violated by the police ahead of the August 12 polls.
He demanded respect and protection for Mr Hichilema’s rights under the constitution.
“This letter expresses the disquiet of the UPND and its’ Alliance with the behaviour of the Police towards Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, the alliance partner Presidential candidate ahead of the national polls on 12th August, 2021.
“The Police have been continuously abusing, mistreating and violating the Constitutional freedoms of Mr. Hichilema to frustrate his campaign programmes whilst allowing other candidates to traverse the country as they canvass for votes during this campaign period,” the letter reads.
He complained that when Mr Hichilema arrived at Chipata Airport on his tour of duty on Thursday, Police officers under the command of Commissioner Gezani Lungu blocked him at the exit gate of the airport precincts and directed that he must not enter Chipata City for his business but fly back to his place of departure.
Prior to that, Mr Imenda said, the said Police command fired tear gas canisters that choked innocent citizens that went to the airport to welcome the opposition leader. He said Mr Hichilema was a citizen of Zambia whose constitutional rights should not be infringed upon. “Our client, like other Presidential candidates for the elections slated on 12th August, 2021, commits no crime by standing for the highest office in the land and he must, as a matter of course, enjoy his fundamental rights to traverse the country whether he pleases to canvass for votes if these elections will be deemed to be free, fair and credible,” Mr Imenda said.
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