HRW calls on Zambia to halt post-election crackdown
Summary
Human Rights Watch urged Zambia’s authorities to stop arrests and other measures against opposition members and government critics after the August 2026 election. The group called for access to lawyers and medical care for detainees, the release of people held arbitrarily, and investigations into alleged abuses by security forces.Key Facts
- President Hakainde Hichilema won a second term in Zambia’s disputed August 2026 election.
- Human Rights Watch said police and military personnel detained, beat, threatened, and forcibly disappeared people before and after the election.
- The group said opposition members, lawyers, journalists, and government critics were among those targeted.
- Opposition leader Brian Mundubile was detained on treason allegations after saying the opposition had won.
- Police raided Mundubile’s home the day after the August 13 election, and former cabinet member Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot and killed during the operation.
- Human Rights Watch called for an independent investigation into Kafwaya’s death.
- About a dozen other opposition figures who questioned the election results were arrested, according to the article.
- Zambian police said the sudden closure of courts two weeks after the election was an intelligence-led preventive measure; Human Rights Watch said it blocked election challenges.
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