Civil rights activist challenges DPP over Mundubile, Makebi detention From Front

Civil rights activist challenges DPP over Mundubile, Makebi detention From Front Mr Mwanza, says the continued incarceration of the two opposition leaders without being brought before court was unacceptable, particularly given the sensitivity surrounding the post-election political environment. He said the DPP should not delay in deciding on the cases because the rights of the accused to a speedy and fair trial must be respected. “We cannot just short-circuit the process, but it is important that people’s rights are respected. There is a right to a fair trial, a speedy and fair trial,” Mr Mwanza said. He said calls for national healing and reconciliation would remain difficult to achieve if opposition leaders continued to be incarcerated. Mr Mwanza said his organisation, (Zambian Civil Liberties Union) and other civil society organisations had already called for national reconciliation, unity and resolution of cases arising from the general elections, including arrests and matters before the courts. He welcomed the release of a number of detainees, including musicians who had spent a prolonged period in detention, but said the continued incarceration of their leaders required urgent attention. “We still have their leaders who are still incarcerated and it is important that if the State has any case, they must be able to take this case to court as a matter of urgency,” the lawyer-cum activist said. Mr Mwanza said investigations should have been completed before arrests were made, particularly because President Hakainde Hichilema had previously been clear that people should not be arrested before evidence had been gathered. “At this point, we believe that the investigation should have concluded and that is why the arrest was done,” he said. He challenged the DPP to either prosecute the matter or release the two opposition leaders unconditionally. “If there is no evidence, release the people. If there is evidence, take them to court so that the matter begins as quickly as it was in the Muhabi Lungu trial,” Mr Mwanza said. He said the DPP should not continue sitting on the cases under the explanation that they were still being studied, stating that the matters were too sensitive to be allowed to drag on. Mr Mwanza recalled previous cases involving politicians who spent long periods in detention, saying Zambia had experienced politically sensitive prosecutions before. He cited the period when Mr Hichilema was incarcerated for 127 days and referred to previous cases involving Muhabi Lungu and others. “What is sad is that the DPP usually takes long to handle these cases,” he said. Mr Mwanza said the release of Mundubile and Makebi would also help create an environment for dialogue between the opposition and the ruling party. “It is time to sit down, the opposition, the ruling party, civil society and everybody. We must sit down and look at the bigger picture, which is Zambia. How can we contribute to the country’s development when others are behind bars?” he wondered. Civil rights activist challenges DPP over Mundubile, Makebi detention From Front Mr Mwanza, says the continued incarceration of the two opposition leaders without being brought before court was unacceptable, particularly given the sensitivity surrounding the post-election political environment. He said the DPP should not delay in deciding on the cases because the rights of the accused to a speedy and fair trial must be respected. “We cannot just short-circuit the process, but it is important that people’s rights are respected. There is a right to a fair trial, a speedy and fair trial,” Mr Mwanza said. He said calls for national healing and reconciliation would remain difficult to achieve if opposition leaders continued to be incarcerated. Mr Mwanza said his organisation, (Zambian Civil Liberties Union) and other civil society organisations had already called for national reconciliation, unity and resolution of cases arising from the general elections, including arrests and matters before the courts. He welcomed the release of a number of detainees, including musicians who had spent a prolonged period in detention, but said the continued incarceration of their leaders required urgent attention. “We still have their leaders who are still incarcerated and it is important that if the State has any case, they must be able to take this case to court as a matter of urgency,” the lawyer-cum activist said. Mr Mwanza said investigations should have been completed before arrests were made, particularly because President Hakainde Hichilema had previously been clear that people should not be arrested before evidence had been gathered. “At this point, we believe that the investigation should have concluded and that is why the arrest was done,” he said. He challenged the DPP to either prosecute the matter or release the two opposition leaders unconditionally. “If there is no evidence, release the people. If there is evidence, take them to court so that the matter begins as quickly as it was in the Muhabi Lungu trial,” Mr Mwanza said. He said the DPP should not continue sitting on the cases under the explanation that they were still being studied, stating that the matters were too sensitive to be allowed to drag on. Mr Mwanza recalled previous cases involving politicians who spent long periods in detention, saying Zambia had experienced politically sensitive prosecutions before. He cited the period when Mr Hichilema was incarcerated for 127 days and referred to previous cases involving Muhabi Lungu and others. “What is sad is that the DPP usually takes long to handle these cases,” he said. Mr Mwanza said the release of Mundubile and Makebi would also help create an environment for dialogue between the opposition and the ruling party. “It is time to sit down, the opposition, the ruling party, civil society and everybody. We must sit down and look at the bigger picture, which is Zambia. How can we contribute to the country’s development when others are behind bars?” he wondered.

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