Police in Lukulu has formally charged and arrested Chilufya Tayali aged 47 of house number 38 Ngwezi road in Roma township of Lusaka for the offence of Defamation of the President Contrary to Section 69 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
According to Zambia Police Spokesperson, Rae Hamoonga, the brief facts of the matter are that the accused did publish defamatory remarks on his Facebook page on 13th May 2022. The suspect has been detained in Police custody and will appear in court soon.
Meanwhile, there has been outrage in the manner Zambia Police is dealing with United Party and National Development (UPND) cadres’ complaints against opposition leaders.
Jackson Silavwe, President of the Golden Party of Zambia (GPZ) said that the President, and Inspector General of Police will be held accountable should something tragic happen to any opposition political party leader.
Mr Silavwe said that the transferring of opposition political leaders by the Zambia Police to different parts of the Country where UPND members have lodged complaints is retrogressive, repugnant and nauseating and questioned if the UPND now following a colonial script in dealing with the opposition.
Mr Silavwe said that this action is reminiscent of the colonial days before our Country’s independence when our freedom fighters such as Dr Kaunda, Mr Kapwepwe and others were restricted to different parts of the Country by colonialists and wondered whether this is the UPND Government the new colonial replica in town.
“In an event where something tragic happens to any opposition political leader (God forbid), President HH, the IG and his Government will be held responsible. President HH and his IG are compromising the security of opposition political leaders in our Country.
” Any person who has a complaint against any opposition political party leader must travel to where they are domiciled and lodge a complaint period. This behaviour is sinister and borders on the infringement of human rights.
“This abuse of the police by the ruling party is appalling and regresses our democratic gains. I call on President HH and his IG to end this practice immediately. It does not make them look good in the minds of well-meaning Zambians and stakeholders, ” he concluded.
Adding his voice to the outrage, former Ambassador to Ethiopia Emmanuel Mwamba said that Zambia Police is struggling to patrol townships to curb the unprecedented high levels of crimes in townships and compounds because of a lack of vehicles and operational fuel, yet they are quick to execute a complaint by UPND cadres in Solwezi against Raphael Nakacinda or Lukulu districts against Chilufya Tayali.
Mr Mwamba said that there is now information that PEPE leader Sean Tembo will be taken to Ikelenge District.
Mr Mwamba said that despite established law and practice that persons are prosecuted from the area or jurisdiction where the crime was suspected to have been committed, the Police in close collaboration with the UPND are abusing the complaint process.
“Dictatorship is always bred by leadership but implemented by defence and security wings. Dictatorship doesn’t appear to be so because it appears to target other people, ” he concluded
