Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) says the disturbances at Copperbelt University (CBU) and University of Zambia (UNZA) are due to hypocrisy by the Patriotic Front government.
The two government run biggest Universities in the country has been rocked with riots by Students.
Below is a statement by FODEP to Zambian Eye Thursday morning:
The disturbances at various high institutions of learning are due to dialogue coated with hypocrisy and delaying tactics applied by those in leadership when attending to students, workers and lecturers’ grievances and interests.
Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP)’s concern is state engineered hypocrisy continues unabated as part of the conflict resolution mechanism by the government, a trend which has promoted unending disturbances at these institutions.
It is also sad that when political hypocrisy has caught up with the government, police is used to terrorize, harass, suppress, oppress and violate innocent students, lecturers and workers’ rights and freedoms.
FODEP thereby condemns the police brutality that is being exhibited when quelling demonstrations, processions and protests at public universities such as UNZA, CBU and other public colleges. Unless, action is taken against police zealots, human rights violation by the police against innocent citizens will continue.
FODEP also strongly condemns the threats against striking lecturers and other workers at Copperbelt University by the Ministry of Higher Education and finds it as act of undermining the academic freedoms guaranteed in the Education Act.
It is FODEP’s considered view that for a better and effective conflict resolution mechanisms and achievement of genuine dialogue with students, lecturers and workers at these institutions; government should remove hypocrisy in its approach to conflict resolutions.
Demonstrations, protests and assemblies are guaranteed rights and freedoms in the current constitution and police actions makes one wonders which law they are using to brutalize demonstrators that supersede the provisions of the constitution other than violating the constitution.
All the police are supposed to do is to maintain law and order during the demonstrations, processions and protests which the police are now confusing to mean maintaining calm.
We call on the Human Rights Commission to censure these zealots in human rights violations and recommend their prosecution by relevant bodies as such actions undermine the country’s democratic credentials.
McDonald Chipenzi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR