SINCE the ascendancy of Mr. Edgar Lungu to power, Zambia has experienced more killings of political opponents by police and ruling party cadres than under all the previous regimes combined.
And in none of these cases were the perpetrators brought to justice, not a single prosecution has yet resulted from these extra judicial killings. It will be very difficult to deny high level political and police administration complicity in these killings.
No political differences or competition can justify today’s barbaric murders by police of two innocent, defenceless and totally unarmed people.
I had the opportunity to watch a recording of the events and listen to some eyewitness.
They say police were firing teargas and live bullets recklessly and unnecessarily in all directions with no regard to the road users and those workers constructing the road near InterContinental Hotel who had to run away in all directions. And that the two people killed could have been any of them from the nearby buildings. They feel traumatised and wonder how the coming days, weeks and months shall be.
These killings constitute very serious human rights violation. These are murders directly committed by the authorities or condoned by the state authorities. These killings constitute human rights violations and are prohibited by international human rights law – they are extralegal, summary and arbitrary executions or extrajudicial execution or unlawful killings.
I say this because these killings have taken place at the order, complicity or with the acquiescence of the authorities, they violate laws of the Republic of Zambia such as those prohibiting murder, as well as international human rights and humanitarian standards forbidding arbitrary deprivation of life, and they have not occurred by accident, in self-defence, or through ignorance. There was no commotion at all among the assembled people until a white police van arrived, out jumped police officers who started firing live ammunition indiscriminately.
These political killings are illegal, unjustifiable and totally unacceptable, deserving only the strongest condemnations possible. And President Lungu, home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo and Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja must be made to account for these murders, these innocent lives they brought to an abrupt ending.
In the ordinary scheme of governance under the rule of law, Kampyongo and Kanganja would resign or be fired by their appointing authority. Only in Zambia will they shamelessly continue facing the general public.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
