By Wezzie Gausi & Justin Mkweu:
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa have asked the government to let citizens enjoy freedom of assembly and association.
The sentiments came a day after activist Bon Kalindo was arrested, apparently for failure to honour bail conditions, at the District Commissioner’s office where he went to deliver a court order that paved the way for demonstrations that were scheduled for Lilongwe.
CHRR Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa said the organisation is unhappy with the manner in which Kalindo was arrested.
“We are further concerned about his continued detention by police despite the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court suspending the warrant of arrest that the court had issued for his arrest.
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“We have learned, with shock, that after the Inspector General of Police was served with the court order suspending the arrest warrant, police continued to detain him and even went ahead to transfer him from Lilongwe to Salima and thereafter Dwangwa,” he said.
Centre for Democracy Watch National Coordinator Levy Luwemba concurred with CHRR, saying citizens should be allowed to demonstrate peacefully.
On his part, Nankhumwa said the arrest of Kalindo and his subsequent spending of a night in a police cell is a threat to democracy.
He has since called on those that care about democracy to hold the government accountable for its actions.
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“I am calling on the media, politicians, the clergy and civil society organisations, among others, to condemn what has happened and make sure that this government is held accountable. Otherwise, we have taken the wrong path,” Nankhumwa said.
Commenting on the matter, Information and Digitalisation Minister Moses Kunkuyu dismissed the notion that the government is muzzling citizens’ rights, saying the current administration respects the rule of law.
Kunkuyu added that every right has a responsibility attached to it, such that those enjoying human rights should not violate those of others.
“These rights must be enjoyed responsibly and with respect to the rule of law,” Kunkuyu said.
