By Thomas Ngala
THE preliminary report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Irene Khan must be looked at through a lens of comparison between what used to happen during the Patriotic Front (PF) regime and what is currently happening, says Getrude Imenda.
In an interview, Imenda, the deputy secretary general of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) told The Mast that human rights violations under the PF were perpetrated on specific individuals, some of whom even lost their lives.
She said life was a human right.
Its curtailment was a violation of one’s human right.
“What kind of human right abuse can be worse than this? Examples abound of those who were deliberately killed: Mapenzi Chibulo, Lawrence Banda, George Kaunda, Nsama Nsama, Grazier Matapa and Vespers Shimuzila,” she said.
“The torture by the Patriotic Front cadres-turned militia of those who expressed different views from the Patriotic Front or had different political affiliation from the PF at a place known as Kamugodi,” Imenda said.
She cited the violent attacks on many UPND members like Likando Mufalali in Sioma during a by-election resulting in the fracture of the bones of some of his limbs. “Youth Nyoni, who on the day HH [President Hakainde Hichilema] was filing in his nomination papers for the 2021 general-presidential elections was brutally attacked with pangas [machetes] near Caroussel [in Lusaka] for being clad in a white T-shirt with HH inscription on it, is among the violent acts perpetrated by PF,” Imenda said.
She recalled that the attack resulted in serious injuries.
Imenda also said the violence against Hichilema in the Sesheke parliamentary by-election in 2019 where he had to walk in the bush, fleeing from PF gun carrying attackers as he was addressing a campaign Rally was an incident which led to many villagers’ houses being torched in the belief that the Head of State could be taking refuge in one of the was also the doing of the PF.
“The attacks on and closures of media houses and outlets like the Prime TV, The Post newspaper and printing companies like MIPAL Printers (owned by Mr Michael Inambao) suspected and known to support UPND then in the opposition, the premature termination of employment of those perceived to support the opposition…,” Imenda said.
