BY ADRIAN MWANZA
It is detestable for the police to be brutalising individuals who are being suspected to have committed crimes like they are with former President Edgar Lungu’s barber, Shebby Chilekwa, Patriotic Front (PF), presidential hopeful, Chishimba Kambwili has said.
Mr Kambwili said he did not understand why Mr Chilekwa was detained and let alone brutalised by the police without charging him.
He said President Hakainde Hichilema was categorical about the issue and said that no one should be detained for more than 48 hours without being charged.
Mr Kambwili said that it was shocking that the international community were numb about the matter because they were quite vocal, when the PF was in power.
“I’m shocked that the international community are silent about this matter because they have been very vocal about human rights in the past,” he said.
He said President Hichilema needed to show leadership and ensure that he put a stop to this brutality which was becoming a common trend.
Meanwhile Human Rights Commission (HRC) Chairperson Mudford Mwandenga said he had not yet received a report but that they would not condone brutality at the hands of the police if true.
Mr Mwandenga said the HRC was following the matter with keen interest and that they would give their findings once the investigations had been concluded.
“Right now I cannot say much because our officers are on the ground trying to get to the bottom of the matter since details have not been given clearly,” he said.
