AI up to no good-Kamba
By NATION REPORTER AMNESTY International (AI) is all intent to creating acrimony in Zambia by inciting people to rise against government, says aspiring Lusaka Province PF chairperson Kennedy Kamba.
Mr Kamba said the organisation was doing that by shielding opposition political entities that were bent on tarnishing the image of Zambia.
Amnesty International’s regional director for Southern Africa Deprose Muchena has maintained that the arrest of musician and activist Fumba Chama, popularly known as Pilato, was an affront to justice and a shocking demonstration of how far the Zambian Government was prepared to go to strangle all criticism and crack down on freedom of expression.
Mr Muchena said the arrest of Pilato as soon as he arrived back on home soil was a shocking affront to justice.
He said that the musician was not a criminal but an activist and artist who must be released immediately and unconditionally.
“The arrest of Pilato as soon as he arrived back on home soil is a shocking affront to justice. It shows the lengths to which Zambian authorities are prepared to go to stiÀe dissent,
“Pilato is not a criminal, he is an activist and artist. He should not spend a single night in jail. He must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Mr. Muchena said.
But Mr. Kamba yesterday said Amnesty International had distinguished itself among international organizations which had joined a bandwagon of other international bodies out to suffocate Governments in Africa by working with the opposition.
“What cracking of freedom of expression are they talking about? Who determines whether one is guilty or not? Is it not the courts? Is Pilato being tried outside court? It is clear that Amnesty International is an entity which is only preoccupied with working with the opposition to unsettle those in power and we will not accept this,
“If it is right for them to have an individual insulting a Republican President without being dragged to court, our Constitution abhors that and therefore, they should not come here and dictate to us how we should run our affairs,´ Mr. Kamba said.
He said no amount of pressure from the UPND and its surrogate international organizations would sway Government into succumbing to its baseless demands over Pilato.