HRC, Chipenzi praise Police IG

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has welcomed the directive by the inspector general of police, Kakoma Kanganja, to officers to allow political parties to freely campaign during the fourth coming by elections in some parts of the country.

Human Rights Commission Spokesperson Mweelwa Muleya has also welcomes the advice by the inspector general of police to political parties and the police to adhere to the provisions of the public order act (POA).

Mr. Muleya says it is important for both the Zambia police service and participating parties to operate within the provisions of the law in order to protect human rights and freedoms as well as maintain peace, law and order.

He says the commission is looking forward to an impartial administration of the public order act so that it serves the fundamental purpose of regulating and not stifling the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Mr. Muleya is hopeful that the advice and warning by the inspector general of police against violating the public order act will be understood to include those in the habit of threatening to disrupt public meetings of their opponents.

He says the police have an obligation to protect public assemblies and meetings from disruption by anyone.

Mr. Muleya adds that they should not only be seen to be resorting to cancelling public meetings whenever lawless individuals threatened violence against law abiding individuals who may have duly abided by the provisions of the public order act.

And Electoral Expert Macdonald Chipenzi has also praised inspector general of police, Kakoma Kanganja, for suspending the application of the preservation of public security act currently in force in the country including the three (3) districts and eight (8) wards scheduled to hold the by-elections on September 14, 2017.

Mr. Chipenzi says it would have been extremely difficult and unfair to electoral players mainly from the opposition to effectively carry out their electoral activities aimed at canvassing electoral support in the three districts of the newly created.

He says the inspector general’s positive response to the appeal will contribute to the conduct of fairly free, fair and credible by-elections in the affected areas.

Mr. Chipenzi argues that if this decision was not considered, it would have undermined the credibility not only that of the electoral contest but also of the electoral outcomes.

He therefore, advised police commissioners, commanding and regulating officers in the three districts and 8 wards to adhered to this directive by inspector general of police Kakoma Kanganja.

Mr. Chipenzi has since appealed to the inspector general of police to issue further instructions or directives to his officers to relax the administration of the provisions of the public order act which, in many cases, have been used to undermine electoral contests to the detriment of building a sound electoral process in this country.