Police abuses

By Daily Revelation Editor

Zambian Institute of Independent Media Alliance (ZIIMA) consultant Wilson Pondamali says the detention of journalist Thomas Zgambo for two weeks without taking him to court, has proved that President Hakainde Hichilema was just ‘sugar coating’ his pronouncements when he directed the Zambia Police to take suspects to court within 48 hours of arresting them.

Zgambo was arrested two weeks ago and kept in custody without being taken to court, until yesterday when he was granted bail.

Pondamali’s remarks are straight on point. For the police to have arrested Zgambo it meant that they knew exactly what they were arresting him for. And if they were professional enough, they were going to immediately bring him in, charge him, so that he could be on his way to immediately start processing his bail formalities to prepare himself for the court process. However, it is an abuse of his rights to have held him for that long.

We are of the considered view that the police did what they did because they are deeply dug themselves deeper in political games of trying to exact maximum punishment on the critics of those in power, in order to deter them from pursuing that course again. They also want to use the same in order to send a message to the other critics that should they dare move along the same path, they will be faced with the same maximum punishment.

Whether Zgambo is wrong or right, holding him in police custody for that long is unacceptable. The fact that police can behave with such reckless impunity, despite Hakainde Hichilema’s words that they should charge people they arrest within 48 hours, is indicative that his pronouncements are just that. Pronouncements. We are sure that the police understand it to be so and hence them behaving with such impunity.

And Zgambo is not the only one to have have found himself in such a position. He is one of the many victims of this police impunity which is fast becoming a norm in this country. If indeed Hichilema meant his words, this nation would not be experiencing such despicable acts. There are only two conclusions to this. It’s either Hichilema is nodding of the same or he is a weak President. Because there is simply no way such a thing could be happening when he has infact given his word against it.

This is what leads many to conclude that Hichilema is mostly all talk and no action. This is rendering credence to the assertions by his opponents and critics against him.

And it’s sad that such impunity is happening under the deafening silence of institutions that are mandated to defend and advocate for people’s rights. Why is the Human Rights Commission for instance not coming out forcefully in the face of such abuses? 

Zambians were hopeful that with the coming of Hichilema into office, he would immediately undertake towards working to fulfil his grand promises to revolutionise the manner these state institutions operated, especially given the many harsh lessons he experienced from them during his many years in the opposition. From the way things are panning out, one would be inclined to think that he was admiring the way they were operating so that once he was in power he would simply allow them to operate in the same manner they did, only that this time around they would be doing his bidding.

Police Inspector General Graphael Musamba should not holding that position under a civilised government, given the abuses being committed by the police he presides over.