Zambian bishops condemn threats to ‘democratic rights’

“We are gravely concerned by the turnover of arrests of opposition politicians by the Zambia Police Service,” the bishops said.

Zambia’s Catholic bishops warned threats to democracy amid an escalating cost of living. 

Recent months have seen the arrest and detention of members of the political opposition, as well as the harassment of Catholic clergy by government security agents.

In a statement on 17 November, the bishops said that the high cost of living and repeated price increases for basic commodities was forcing millions into hunger while the government suppressed voices of protest.

“We are gravely concerned by the turnover of arrests of opposition politicians by the Zambia Police Service,” the bishops said.

“It is worth noting that we are not referring to arrests related to corruption. We are referring to arrests of a political nature that fall within the realm of the exercise of democratic rights.”

Their statement also marked the sixtieth anniversary of Zambian independence in October. While Zambia had in recent years been considered a model for the peaceful transfer of power, opposition political parties have faced what rights activists say is a brutal crackdown by the government.

“We urge the authorities to accept the existence of the opposition and respect their duty to hold the government to account and to desist from criminalising political speech and debate,” the bishops said.

“In a truly functional constitutional democracy, neither the police nor the party in power have the authority to prescribe to opposition parties how the government should be opposed.”

They said that economic turmoil, worsened by regional drought that left millions requiring food assistance, had left many people vulnerable.

“The economic situation remains precarious. Unemployment has increased especially among the youths, and the cost of living is now much higher than it was in 2021. We appeal to the government to put in place effective interventions that will reduce the cost of living that continues to escalate,” the bishops said.

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