Kamlepo Kalua, the Parliamentarian from Rumphi East, has informed George Chaponda, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, that he has been treated like an ordinary criminal during his recent arrest.
Chaponda visited Kalua at Lumbadzi Police Station in Lilongwe on Monday, June 24, 2024, offering moral support following Kalua’s arrest the previous Thursday on cybercrime charges.
After the visit, Chaponda took to Facebook, expressing sorrow over the pain, humiliation, and injustice Kalua endured during his arrest, which included being transferred from Blantyre to Lilongwe in handcuffs.
Reflecting on their meeting in the police cell, Chaponda described Kalua as showing a mixture of shock and resilience. Despite the injustices faced, Kalua maintained a faint smile while his eyes betrayed feelings of pain, humiliation, and determination.
Chaponda wrote, “As I sat in the Lumbadzi police cell, I was met with a mix of shock and resilience. Hon. Kamlepo Kalua, a dedicated public servant, sat before me with a faint smile, despite the injustice he had faced. His eyes, however, told a different story- one of pain, humiliation, and determination.”
Chaponda recounted Kalua’s narrative of his arrest, describing a sudden nighttime apprehension with no opportunity for questions, only brute force and intimidation.
Kalua spoke of being driven in handcuffs from Blantyre to Lilongwe, deprived of basic rights, and treated as if he were a common criminal.
The Opposition Leader emphasized that the gravest injustice Kalua faced was discovering that the voice note leading to his arrest did not belong to him.
Chaponda pledged to advocate for a better Malawi, emphasizing the need for freedom and justice, and vowed to seek the truth behind the plane crash that claimed the life of Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima and eight other officials.
Earlier in the day, Kalua was moved from Lumbadzi to Area 18 Police Station in Lilongwe, where he spent just an hour before being transferred again, this time to Area 30 Police Station.
