Zambia has no political prisoners - ZRP
THERE are no political prisoners in Zambia, Zambia Republican Party ZRP leader Wright Musoma has observed. Speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, Mr. Musoma cautioned UPND president Hakainde Hichilema against taking advantage of the law enforcing agencies’ tolerance over his careless remarks even on issues he had no clue about.
He said it was clear that Mr. Hichilema’s preoccupation was to tarnish the image of the country to the outside world and wondered how he intended to lead a country which he had branded as harbouring political prisoners even when he knew his claims were not true.
He said Mr. Hichilema should not blame Government if law enforcement agencies decided to clamp down on him over unsubstantiated claims he was making.
“If a UPND cadre abrogates the law and is arrested by police and tried by the courts of law, do they become political prisoners? UPND was inciting its cadres to take the law in their own hands and were arrested, tried, and convicted and the best place for social misfits such as these is prison where everyone else who breaks the law with impunity is kept for correction.
“It is therefore illogical for Mr. Hichilema to continue referring to these criminals as political prisoners because Zambia does not have any political prisoners in our facilities but inmates who are serving jail sentences for various offences committed. Mr. Hichilema should not be too careless and think that he is above board because he may just find himself back in prison,” Mr. Musoma said.
He said Mr. Hichilema must be counting his luck stars that he is out of prison despite having committed a treasonable offence saying if it was in other countries, he would have spent the rest of his life in jail.
“If it was in other countries where the Executive tampers with the operations of the Judiciary, Mr. Hichilema would still have been rotting in jail over his treason case and must therefore not take advantage of the rule of law and thriving democracy in this country because fate may visit him again,” Mr. Musoma warned.