Nearly 18,000 people died in government custody in Syria in 2011-15, an Amnesty International report says, alleging beatings and rape in prisons. Amnesty says its document includes interviews with 65 “torture survivors”, who have described appalling abuse in jails and detention centres. The human rights group urges the world community to pressure Damascus to end the use of torture. The ...

Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition (CSO-SUN) has urged the Patriotic Front to reduce stunting in the country by 10 percent in the next five years following its re-election in the just ended general election. CSO-SUN Programs Officer Meander Chileshe says a country’s economic productivity depends on its young population, stressing that if a child’s nutritional needs are not met, the ...

Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) President Charles Milupi has predicted a fuel price hike should Zambia agree to the terms of the proposed International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout plan. Mr Milupi says electricity tariffs are also expected to go up. He says it is obvious that some of the austerity bailout measures the IMF will insist on is the ...

The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) has expressed concern over the high number of rejected ballots in the just ended elections. EFZ Executive Director Reverend Pukuta Mwanza says the 85, 795 rejected ballots in the presidential election alone is worrying. Reverend Mwanza notes that this could be that the Electoral Commission of Zambia is not doing enough in sensitizing voters ...

The opposition UPND has encouraged its members that the fight to reclaim its alleged stolen votes in the just ended general elections is not over yet. UPND vice president for administration Geoffrey Mwamba says his party has sufficient evidence to petition the outcome of the elections. Mr. Mwamba says the evidence is enough to secure a judgment most Zambians are ...

The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) says the just ended elections failed to meet the standards of a free, fair and credible election. FODEP says the general election was marred with irregularities, citing serious errors in vote tallying for the presidential election. Speaking during a post election press briefing this morning, FODEP president Shepherd Chilombe say considering the scale of ...

The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction has encouraged President Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front to ensure they fulfill the promises they made to the people of Zambia during the campaigns. CSPR Executive Director Patrick Nshindano says President Lungu and the PF have a huge task of reducing the high poverty levels in Zambia. Mr. Nshindano says there is need ...

The ruling Patriotic Front in Monze District has appealed to the traditional leadership to help in strengthening unity in the country. PF Monze District Chairman Gilbert Mwila says Zambians cannot afford to live in a divided country, thus the need for the traditional leadership to come on board and provide guidance. And Mr. Mwila says it is unfair for some ...

The opposition UPND has been challenged to stop protesting the outcome of the just ended general election if indeed it has faith in the capacity of the Constitutional Court to handle electoral disputes. PF Deputy Spokesperson Frank Bwalya says violent protests by UPND supporters in Southern province are not necessary especially that the party has indicated that it will petition ...

Civil rights activist Brebner Changala has observed that the voting pattern in last Thursday’s general election has exposed the tribalism factor in the Zambian society. In an interview with QTV news, Mr. Changala says he finds the voting pattern witnessed in the elections as an ugly outlook that needs to be reversed with issue based kind of campaigns. Mr. Changala ...