THE Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) is appalled by the latest incident of police brutality involving Komboni Radio Proprietor Lesa Kasoma.
Ms Kasoma was on the evening of Wednesday allegedly assaulted by three Police Officers in Lusaka’s Kamwala area.
Ms Kasoma is among the many women who have fallen victim to police brutality in 2016.
ZNWL National Board Chairperson Beauty Katebe said in a statement today that it was unacceptable that three male armed police officers could resort to beating and stripping naked one woman as the only way of dealing with whatever situation may have been threatening peace at the time.
He said there was little or no information in the public domain on punitive action, legally or otherwise taken against the erring officers.
“The lack of or unknown action on previous cases involving erring police officers has given way to impunity among some indisciplined police officers who feel that they can inflict harm on innocent citizens without any consequences,”Ms Katebe said.
She implored the police command through the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja to put an end to police brutality by acting decisively on erring officers.
He said the continued reports of police brutality were denting the image of the service and will further reduce the confidence that the public has in the institution.
“We are aware that the police service has different levels of engagement in the maintenance of law and order and force is the last resort, we therefore expect the police officers to exhaust all the other avenues before resorting to inflicting bodily harm on citizens,”Ms Katebe said.
The story of Lesa made me feel very sad. She could have been another Mapenzi. The excitement in the police is getting out of hand. Very sad.
Those were definitely not professional officers but Party cadres.
So ninshi the job of the lobby group is just chucking out statements with no action? That’s brutal.
HH said police are with them. Why are they fighting themselves?
I want to commend the ZP for a job well done. If we handle the anarchy being exhibited by “opposition” sympathizers with kid gloves will loose our hard earned Peace.
@ Bebe 5 or less years from now you will be the one crapping in your pants with this police brutality!! We should all as citizens be demanding professionalism from the police and not these downright sub feacal commendations that perpetuate stone age barbarism from cops.
People, please do not get excited. PF has not even begun. You have seen nothing yet. Remember what PF stands for?
= Primitive Fascists
= Punching Fist
= Police Force
They are now begging for more money from the IMF to buy more machine guns and armoured vehicles for killing Zambians with.
By the way, what did she do? Police are expected to respect women regardless of the offence. At least let them beat ifibena gbv NAIA kalusa not icho ichimpopo
Gender equality also means that we should receive equivalent beating for equivalent behavior.
When we told you lungu is a thug
hoodwinking church goers ati ‘i am humble’ you did not belive us…..
Police PF brutality is sanctioned from state house.
Foolish headline.. Is she brutal?
I want to commend the ZP for a job well done. If we handle the anarchy being exhibited by “opposition” sympathizers will loose our hard earned Peace.
I want to commend the ZP for a job well done. If we handle the anarchy being exhibited by “opposition” sympathizers with kids gloves will loose our hard earned Peace.
Iwe 4.1 bebe. you are an imbecile. Huge body, but very small brain.I don’t see sense in why you see beating up and stripping a woman as a normal thing.There is no peace already. Once there is this kind of brutality,peace is history.
One party state tendencies at play; this is what we fought against in 1991, and slowly we are returning to a tyrannical state of emmergency of 1964-1991. Unfortunately, this did not start with ECL but with the election of RB and MCS who were the main architects of Zambia’s one party state. What we see now is the chickens coming home to roost.
PF is just an evil institution and this is what happens when you have a drunk president being advised by thugs like Kaizer, Kambwili, Chama and Mumbi with police cadres like Kaganja and Katanga. Shame on you PF cadres who’re supporting this evil in our nation.
Pipo need to respect the law. Time for politics and campaigns is gone. Its time to work now. Next election is 2021. Ku tali sana. Lets be productive
1mbecile, do the Police need to respect the law or they are immune from the rule of law?
Go to USA and show the same behavior and see if you won’t come back a dead body. Condemn why the woman was beaten not how she was beaten. There are so many women including you Ms Kasoma. Why were you not beaten? Our economy is extremely bad and that can only be corrected by discipline and hard work. Time for politics is gone. Thanks police keep it. Tanzania had elections and the opposition was not happy with results can’t you learn from them and be wise?
I dont understand your point. Lesa Kasoma Nyirenda is not a politician but a journalist. She had a letter from the IBA that said the suspension of her radio station had been lifted. She went their to ask the policemen to open the premises where the radio station is operating from. She had an official communication from the IBA..she was beaten for asking to access the radio station where she is Director.
WOMEN’S LOBBY VERY SELECTIVE ….. JUST CADRES
THE REPORTING TO BEGIN WITH IS PATHETIC ! WHAT HAPPENED FOR THE BEATING TO TAKE PLACE ? WOMENS LOBBY GROUP U ARE ALSO USELESS CHAPS AS U ARE ON RECORD OF RUSHING TO CONDEMN BEFORE KNOWING THE FACTS OF THE MATTER THUS NORMALLY YOUR COMMENTS ARE WORTH A USED TOILET PAPER RUBBISH . GET YOUR FACTS FIRST BEFORE U JUDGE ATA!
If less kasoma is what you are putting it why was the station closed? Opening is not as easy as closing. Our highly trained security system has to do security work. All some pipo want is to see this country on fire and God through some patriotic Zambians will not allow it. Zambians let’s go for and do politics in 2021.
Its indeed pathetic to see or hear any of the 9 or so presidential candidates calling for riots or rise against the government. Freedom fighting? That was done by our forefathers. Its time for economic freedom. Whoever fails to bring economic freedom in his tenure of office we vote them out using the ballot box. Not the illegal methods. Zambians are mature people who reason even in the thick of things. Upnd is saying pf has stolen victory for the Zambians and of is saying the Zambians have rejected upnd. Note that both upnd and of has a common denominator – ZAMBIANS – who they should protect and maintain their peace and not to use them. Am sure the common people who were rounded up in Luanshya are still in cells where as their leaders paid bail and were released. Remember our laws say one…
Stop and listen, brutality to a defenceless woman is a no no no, you don’t get it, policing is about protection and not murdering. Please please talk sense. Women Lobby groups please stand against this barbaric outdated archaised practices by these illiterate uniform wearing so Called police with no CODE of practice. I tell you now, if I was the police in charge, I would have been ashamed to lead such untrained lot. The reason none of them is coming forward to condemn this is because they are useless.
This definitely calls for retraining of our police officers so that they can start respecting human rights and begin to protect citizens. The act is horrific and barbaric. Brutalizing fellow human beings because you are in police uniform is uncalled for. Do you want people to start arming themselves for the purpose of self defence? No non no! Police must do their job professionally.