*CLRI WORRIED WITH “DETERIORATING SPACE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES”*
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Mundia Paul Hakoola
*CLRI WORRIED WITH “DETERIORATING SPACE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES”*
The continental Leadership Research institute (CLRI) says it is concerned with what it has termed as “deteriorating space of civil rights and liabilities” in the country.
Commenting on the allegations that police in Chingola shot at opposition United Party for National Development On Sunday, CLRI Executive Director, Paul Mundia Hakoola, said the alleged attack on the opposition leader was a direct assault on the rights of assembly and movement.
He said in the recent past the country has seen a number of incidents were rights of movement and assembly have been threatened using state institutions that have a mandate protect citizens as opposed to threatening these same rights and liabilities.
“This event where opposition leader was shot at by the Police is an act of dictatorship and is reckless considering that not long ago we lost Nsama Nsama, a civil servant who worked as a prosecutor for the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), and Joseph Kaunda, a member of the United Party for National Development because of the unprofessional conduct.
“As an Institute we are concerned by the shrinking space in our democratic tenets in Zambia, if the harassing of citizens by state agencies continues we soon be categorized as a dictatorship,” he said.
Mr. Hakoola has since called the international organisations concerned with human rights to take keen interest and monitor the human rights situation as the country heads to elections.
“We take this opportunity to invite the international organisations concerned with human rights to take keen interest in Zambia and begin to aggressively monitor the human rights situation in Zambia and we also call the Zambia Police and the ministry of home affairs to engage with all stakeholders and find common ground that will head towards a path of transparency and accountability in the way the public order Act is being administered and to be professional as the execute their constitutional duty to people of Zambia.
“Failure to take necessary steps to deal with the human rights situation will badly affect our standing as a country globally, affect citizen participation in 2021 election and will undermine the atmosphere needed for the elections to be declared free and fair,” he said.
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