Namiwa speaking at the press briefing today
CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa has been abducted at Area 3 in Lilongwe this afternoon, hours before he was expected to lead anti-government demonstrations in the capital city.
Communications Officer for CDEDI, Edwin Mauluka, has confirmed and has said he was with Namiwa during the incident which has happened minutes after Namiwa held a press conference to express his organisation’s preparedness for anti-government demonstrations slated for tomorrow.
“While we were driving home from the press briefing, another vehicle stopped in front of us and bouncers pulled Namiwa out of our vehicle.
“Namiwa was beaten and then bundled into the the other car and the abductors drove away,” said Mauluka, adding that the vehicle the abductors used has no number plate.
The organisation has since reported the matter at Area 3 Police Station.
Meanwhile, CDEDI has released a statement saying that the abduction has not come as a surprise since Namiwa has on several occasions this week been pestered by the authorities from Area 30 Police Headquarters in Lilongwe and the Lilongwe District Council, to attend some meetings whose agenda items were not clearly stated.
“Furthermore, Mr. Namiwa’s kidnapping has reminded all the well-meaning Malawians about how ruthlessness and barbaric the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is, and has brought back the old memories of darkness, kidnapping, killing and detention without trial,” the organisation has said.
Malawians rejected one party state through a referendum in 1993. Why abducting a person who is expressing his human rights through demonstrations?? Why?
This is quite retrospective to democracy in Malawi. Please release Namiwa now!!!!