Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:19:22 +0000 The decision by the Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani not to grant permission for a joint rally represents an unlawful violation of the Zambian peoples’ right to freedom of assembly, the Coalition for the Defence of Democratic Rights (CDDR) has said. Counsel to the CDDR Robert Amsterdam said there was absolutely no basis under the Zambian Constitution or international law for the police to arbitrarily and pre emptively ban peaceful political gatherings for no reason. Mr Amsterdam said “The Patriotic Front administration is in violation of several international agreements that guarantee basic rights to its citizens, such as freedom to assembly and the right to association and the right to public assembly.” He said reports of the denial of the permit to the opposition parties follows upon controversial statements by Minister of Justice Wynter Kabimba, who recently stated that Zambian people “want a one-party state,” and that the […]
