One month ago today UPND youth that participated in the annual Youth Day celebrations were brutally attacked, many in full view of police officers. Several received head wounds, while one young woman was stripped naked on the streets. This came 10 days after an incident that shocked the nation to the core when video footage circulated of an unarmed man being violently beaten by Police officers at Woodlands Police Station.
Several weeks on we ask what action has been taken and where is the justice? It appears that the list of citizens awaiting justice under the PF is ever growing, as is the number of citizens afraid to leave their homes or to express a political preference or viewpoint. This is deeply worrying just one month before the start of the campaign season for the 2016 general elections.
After the incident on March 2nd Minister of Home Affairs Davies Mwila said an investigation had been launched into the alleged acts of police brutality. We demand to know what progress has been made to date, including whether they have identified the officers from the video and if they have been served their suspension notices.
We also demand to know what action has been taken against the perpetrators of violence on Youth Day. These are important questions that deserve the immediate and high priority attention of our Police Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja, particularly in the context of rising levels of violence and crime across many areas in Lusaka and beyond.
Soon our people will not just be hungry and jobless but also scared for their personal safety. The Zambia Police Service is meant to protect our citizens but with such incidents left unaddressed and accusations of their complicity, confidence in their ability to do just that may be eroded beyond repair. What hope will there be for a free and fair election in August? It should go without saying that citizens should never have to sacrifice or risk their personal safety in order to vote or express a political opinion.
Without evidence of action we are concerned that it is not just our economic indicators that have suffered under the PF, but many aspects of a functioning democracy.
Condemnation is not enough from those in positions of power. As with all matters of governance, President Lungu and the PF do not seem to have yet realised that words are not enough, but action must follow in every case. After all President Lungu, during the church organized meeting, made a commitment to address this scourge decisively.
Stephen Katuka
UPND Secretary General