By Isaac Zulu
A human rights activist has described as circus the random arrests of citizens and prolonged detention of suspects.
Human rights advocate Wesley Miyanda has reminded Inspector General of Police that no criminal suspect should be arrested before thorough investigations are conducted, saying that was something the President has said in upholding the rule of law in governance institution.
Miyanda, in a statement, observed that there has been a spate of arrests and prolonged detentions of individuals perceived to have committed criminal offences, but without substantiated evidence to subject them for prosecution before the courts of law, which was against what President Hichilema has emphasised.
“In the same vein, the President has directed that no arrests should be effected by our men and women in uniform before thorough investigations done into all criminal matters. We have in the recent past witnessed a number of random arrests and prolonged detentions of suspects, but with no solid or substantiated evidence to be presented in the courts of law for convictions,” Miyanda stated. “This trend is seen as circus and total comprise on the process of recovering our plundered national resources. The Inspector General of Police Mr
Lemmy Kajoba has a pivotal role to play in this matter to ensure that the Presidential directives are strictly followed by all the investigative wings and other relevant institutions. No suspects should be arrested before serious and professional investigations are done, if the government is to avert unnecessary costs through lawsuits by the same people being arrested and detained on unfounded charges… In view of the raised concerns above, I wish to make an earnest appeal to the Republican President Mr Hakainde Hichilema and all legal minded technocrats to find a way of putting the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in order if we are to have smooth running of judicial proceedings pertaining to criminal matters, especially in our quest to recover stolen property and resources for the people of this great nation Zambia.”
