Govt urged to allow planned protests at AU summit

Governance, Elections, Advocacy, and Research Services (GEARS) Initiative has advised the new dawn government to allow for peaceful protests at the African Union summit to be held in Lusaka.

GEARS Initiative Executive Director McDonald Chipenzi says allowing protests, demonstrations and or picketing at the AU Summit will send a good signal about Zambia’s newly restored freedoms to citizens to other African Countries that do not allow their citizens to express themselves through such means.

Mr Chipenzi states that Peaceful protests, demonstrations and picketing must be allowed at the summit as a democratic ingredient in Constitutional democracy anchored on respect for citizens freedoms.

He says those who want to protest, demonstrate and or picket at the AU Summit must be allowed to notify the Zambia Police Service who should therefore, permit, approve and escort the protestors.

And Political Analyst and Human Rights Defender Ngande Mwanajiti has urged the New Dawn Administration to seize the opportunity to display Zambia’s Democratic credentials by allowing planned demonstrations at the upcoming AU summit to go ahead.

In a statement to Q-news, Mr. Mwanjiti however, notes that both the government and citizens, who wish to express and associate, must do so within the framework of the law.

He has advised that if for whatever reason any of the parties is unhappy with the law, two civilized options exist and that is to either Petition the Courts of law or engage in Law reforms through available channels.