…Says arrest is ploy to harass and intimidate activists to end post-election protests
…orders Malawi government to unconditionally release the activists
Rights Group, Amnesty International, has condemned the arrest of activists Gift Trapence and McDonald Sembereka.
Trapence – Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRD) – and Sembereka who is a coalition member were arrested on Tuesday for fraud and operating an unregistered organisation.
Their arrest however came days after post-election demonstrations organized the HRDC.
In response to the arrest, Amnesty on Wednesday said the charges are a ploy to harass and intimidate the two activists and force them to end the ongoing post-election demonstrations.
“Malawian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them and stop clamping down on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
“Organizing and participating in peaceful protests is not a crime. Authorities must stop targeting dissenting voices and using politically motivated charges to suppress differing views. The rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association must be fully respected, protected, promoted and fulfilled in Malawi,” Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa said.
Major cities such as Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Rumphi have been the scenes of post-election protests since the disputed election results in May.
President Peter Mutharika who won the elections said last week that the protesters wanted to make Malawi a “lawless state”.
Asatuluke amenewo anadya ndalama za anthu ovutika a HIV. dziwani kuti sanamangidwe chifukwa cha politics ayi koma kuba
Release those innocents .Iweyo Peter you deserve Ndende cos uNabela mavoti and yyourr so called government is saturated with corrupt officials .
Iwe ndende uyilowa basi.
Otherwise you are accelerating anger yathu!!!
Marching Siitha!!!!
Muthalika is trying to push us back to dectatorship type of regime which we fought on his absence .
We are Not stupid Mr so called president .We are watching you.
Malawi is not your Farm on which you can
do anything you like .
We have rights to demonstrate if your government
Is giving us shit!!!!!
You stole our votes and now you want to intimidat
Us.
Malawi is not ZIMBABWE where you come from from .
Take care!!!
It just simply tells us that …we dont have democracy here. We are tired of these nasty politics mr. muntharika. this nation would have given u heap of praises if u exercised mature politics but with this hmmmmm believe me even a dog will note and spot a bad smell in your day to day endeavours