HRC sounds alarm over State abuses
By Ludia Ngwadzai
THE Human Rights Commission (HRC) has condemned the continued human rights abuses by the State.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, HRC chairperson Dr Pamela Sambo said the violations include prolonged detention of suspects, delayed court judgments and restrictive police bond conditions.
“In the last two days, the Commission reviewed 100 cases of alleged human rights violations involving law enforcement agencies, justice sector institutions and other public and private entities. The cases are categorised as follows, 47 concerned the right to secure protection of the law, 36 relating to the right to personal liberty,” she said.
Dr Sambo said other violations were on protection from child abuse, labour and employment rights, and social security matters.
She said human rights violations involving torture and inhuman or degrading treatment were also recorded.
Dr Sambo said the review highlighted persistent concerns over arrests, detention and the administration of justice in the country.
“In one case, three people were detained at Shang’ombo Central Police for one year and seven months before their first court appearance. They remained in custody for another two months and eight days after a court ordered their release because the prosecution had not served the order on the detention facility,” she said.
Dr Sambo said another suspect spent about nine months in detention on a murder charge before being released due to insufficient evidence.
She also said a convicted person waited about four years for sentencing, while judgment in a separate murder trial remained outstanding for more than seven years after the trial ended.
“Such delays adversely affect accused persons, victims and families and undermine public confidence in justice delivery,” she said.
Dr Sambo criticised police bond conditions requiring two serving civil servants as sureties.
She said some suspects struggled to meet the requirements after losing contact with relatives.
“The Commission calls upon the Zambia Police Service to impose bond conditions that are lawful, reasonable, proportionate and responsive to the circumstances of each case,” Dr Sambo said.
She said some foreigners had remained in detention without appearing in court because interpreters were unavailable.
‘I want to urge the judiciary to ensure language barriers did not obstruct access to justice,” she said.
Dr Sambo said child protection violations were another concern, with eight cases allegedly handled contrary to the Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022.
“A 14-year-old child in Choma was detained for 54 days over alleged theft, while two 17-year-olds in Namwala were held for 16 and 58 days, respectively. All three were detained alongside adults without being brought before a court or granted police bond,” she said.
Dr Sambo urged the police, Department of Social Welfare, National Prosecution Authority and judiciary to ensure children were detained only as a last resort and separated from adults.
Dr Sambo cited a case in which a traditional leader allegedly detained a man at his palace for 20 days over the conduct of his son, who was a person with a disability.
“The review further identified alleged irregularities in the removal of Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries, delayed wage payments and non-compliance with the prescribed minimum wage.”
Dr Sambo said the Commission would continue pursuing remedies and engaging institutions to address recurring violations.
She urged members of the public to report alleged human rights violations through the Commission’s toll-free line 8181.
