Rights group accuses Zambia of violent post-election crackdown on opposition
Human Rights Watch says 14 people were forcibly disappeared and 61 were abused in custody as authorities used treason charges to silence dissent.
- On Monday, a Human Rights Watch report detailed a violent post-election crackdown in Zambia, where police and military forces arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared, and beat opposition members, lawyers, and journalists following President Hakainde Hichilema's August reelection.
- Tensions escalated after a security raid on August 14 at the home of opposition leader Brian Mundubile, where personnel allegedly killed former government minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, prompting widespread arrests of opposition supporters and election monitors.
- The report documented 71 cases of arbitrary arrest and 61 allegations of violent abuse in custody, with 43 election monitors detained for 21 days without charge before a court ordered their release.
- Several opposition figures remain in detention charged with treason, while the government dismissed reports of abuses as "disinformation" and rejected international calls to release political detainees.
- As a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term, Zambia is expected to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights, though critics urge President Hichilema to restore the rule of law and protect civic spaces.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Associated Press News
Rights group accuses Zambia of violent post-election crackdown on opposition
Zambian authorities forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, beat and threatened opposition members and supporters, lawyers, journalists and government critics in the days before and after August’s general election, Human Rights Watch said.
El Vocero de Puerto Rico
Independent EspañolThe Zambian government carried out a violent repression against opposition parties following the August elections, in which President Hakainde Hichilema won a second term, according to a Human Rights Watch report published on the...
Widespread Post-Election Repression Deepens Political Crisis Across Zambia – Axadle
Human Rights Watch says Zambia’s security forces have subjected opposition members, journalists, lawyers and other government critics to enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and abuse since the August 2026 general elections. The rights group said it had documented 14 apparent enforced disappearances, 61 alleged cases of abuse in custody and 71 arrests or extended detentions without […]
Opponents arrested, lawyers and journalists threatened, enforced disappearances denounced. Since the August election, Zambia has been facing a number of... Read Zambia, the price of dissenting votes after the re-election of Hichilema appeared first on Le Singulier.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
