SOCIALIST Party president Fred M’membe says President Edgar Lungu, home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo and Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja must be made to account for the “murders” of two innocent lives they brought to an abrupt ending.
A day before UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s appearance at police headquarters in Lusaka where he was summoned on Wednesday, Kampyongo promised that UPND supporters who would escort their leader would be decisively dealt with by police.
While Hichilema was being questioned, police officers ran amok, teargasing, beating up UPND supporters who were present.
Journalists were also smoked.
There was both live and empty ammunition being fired by police.
Police somewhat retreated, but only after/because they had shot dead a UPND supporter of Kanyama area in Lusaka, Joseph Kaunda, and a State prosecutor, Nsama Nsama Chipyoka – all a stone-throw away from the National Public Prosecutions (NPA) offices.
More than 20 other UPND cadres were arrested by police.
Reacting to the killings, Dr M’membe branded the duo’s killing by the police as illegal, unjustifiable and unacceptable political killings.
Dr M’membe, an advocate of the High Court of Zambia, said such killings constituted very serious human rights violation.
“These are murders directly committed by the authorities or condoned by the State authorities,” he said. “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.”
He explained that those killings took place at the order, complicity or with the acquiescence of the authorities.
Dr M’membe said the killings violated laws of the Republic of Zambia, like those which prohibit murder, as well as international human rights and humanitarian standards forbidding arbitrary deprivation of life.
He added that Wednesday’s killings did not occur 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,” Dr M’membe said.
“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.”
He indicated that 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,” he said.
Dr M’membe also observed that since the ascendancy of Lungu to the Republican presidency, Zambia has experienced more killings of political opponents by police and PF 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,” said Dr M’membe. “It will be very difficult to deny high level political and police administration complicity in these killings. No political differences or competition can justify yesterday’s (Wednesday) barbaric murders by police of two innocent, defenceless and totally unarmed people.”