Lawyers representing former envoy to Ethiopia, Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba, and Petauke businessman, Rizwan Patel, have lodged a complaint of torture against the Zambian State. The lawyers have demanded reparations, damages for assault and battery, and a written apology from the perpetrators. In the letter addressed to the Attorney General, the lawyers outline the details of the alleged abduction and torture incidents, highlighting the denial of legal representation, lack of access to police stations, and violation of their clients’ rights. They give a 72-hour ultimatum for the demands to be fulfilled, warning of legal action if not met. Copies of the letter were sent to various authorities, including the Inspector General of Police, Police Complaints Commission, and international human rights organizations.
Below is the letter
28th June 2023
The Attorney Generals Chambers
3rd Floor Kent Building
Next to immigration HQ
Lusaka
Dear Sir/ Madam,
RE: COMPLAINT OF TORTURE BY ZAMBIA POLICE- MR. RIZWAAN DAWOOD PATEL
The above-captioned matter refers.
We act for Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba and Mr.Rizwaan Dawood Patel hence note our interest.
We are informed by our clients that between the 14th June, 2023 and the 23rd June, 2023, our clients were abducted by officers from the Zambia police which officers, In the case of our Ambassador Mwamba, there was a Mr Joseph Kapasa, Mr. Brian Chipango and a Mr. Stephen Simwenda among others who participated in the said abduction.
In the case of Mr Rizwaan Dawood Patel, a Mr Joseph Kapasa led a group of police officers and some that are suspected not to be police offers.
Our Ambassador Mwamba has since reported the matter to Woodlands Police Station and a medical report is in our possession whereas our Mr Rizwaan Dawwod Patel was denied access to any police station for him to make a report.
You may wish to know that over and above the torture that was inflicted on our clients by the police, they were denied the opportunity to have access to legal representation or have a relative present as well as noticed of their whereabouts as the police were moving them up and about whilst they were in police abduction.
The said purported investigations against our client were being led by a Mr Kalala who when confronted at the police in relation to Ambassador Mwamba refused to grant us access or tell us the whereabouts of our client who was in their custody.
The acts of the police who abducted our clients are illegal, unconstitutional and an infringement on our clients’ rights.
And for Mr. Rizwani Patel, he was handed over to the C5 group who took turns in torturing him and beating him.
We therefore demand the following:
1. Adequate Reparations for the torture inflicted on our clients’
2. Damages for Assault and battery
3. Written apology from the officers concerned
By copy of this letter, our clients demands are made known and you have 72 hours within which to fulfil the said demands failing which we shall be left with no option but to take out process against the officers involved and yourselves as legal representative of the government.
Yours faithfully,
Makebi Zulu Advocates
Cc: Inspector General of Police
Cc: Police Complaints Commission
Cc: Attorney General
Cc: Amnesty international
Cc: Africa Human Rights Commission
Cc: United Nations RapporteurÂ
Cc:Â Client
Actions by the police on PF cadres clearly relate to retribution or revenge for the brutality suffered under the PF regime.President HH needs to remember that many citizens including the police still harbour physical and emotional scars from the PF brutality.
HH needs to provide an avenue for the victims of that PF brutality to speak out and get things off their chests.
A TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION is needed.
UPND was abducting people even when still in opposition. We are in for a very brutal regime and still we have blind people clapping for UPND.
1. The Elder-Of-The- Seventh Day Church, The Man-of-God, also the The-President-of Zambia… needs to stop living in the past. If there is anything that bitterness or vengeance does, is that it steals your creativity, peace, and progress. The more these habits of torturing political opponents, private citizens, or anyone who criticizes UPND/GRZ, the more the government will waste the very money, that HH is going around the world lobbying from lenders and donations.
2. These acts of vengeance are coming at the cost of denying investments and poor Zambians benefiting from these loans, while it gets redirected and wasted in compensations & settlement cases, looking at what we are seeing now. This is fiscal & monetary irresponsible. Zambia will pay interest on money spent settling political scores & intimidation. It Stinks !!
And i have said it several times…we don’t have serious opposition in Zambia just a bunch of Jokers and attention seekers…Emmanuel Mwamba is an attention seeker…these guys are just doing things for attention so that they can be in the news….its better to ignore them and concentrate on developing Zambia…..when they were in power they all acted like thugs….. Bandit HH also is acting like a little girl….Politicians are all evil…Muswati is a Makaka also..Bandit Lungu is a pompwe
Chaipila mbuzi kuluma galu, that’s the game that tribal bigot Tombolilo Mwamba is playing. This time kunya lwakwa Noah.
Tombolilo Mwamba kunya bebele!
Go after these azzh0les. The instructions to torture came from that f00I HH. He is still hurt about being told the truth and losing various elections. Remember he is the only son from his mother and doesn’tknow his father . That is why he is so entitled. He has daddy issues. He is what we call a b.a.s.t.a.r.d.
Hear, hear, hear, ape world, Broken Hill Man a.k.a. Kaizar Silu Mfumu ya Mpuno has spoken in his usual demented way. His anger and frustration seeps through his ugly ape face. Don’t ignore his mental symptoms, he’s a man who needs urgent help. Caution: when you see him tranguilize him. He can be very violent.
Well like I said it is the unemployed youths who have now become Junkies that brought in the Liar, Tribal Dictator. Dictatorship is a characteristic of a failed leader. If a leader is running the affairs of the country properly, he has no need to brutalize his citizen. Citizens will not complain that there are no medicines in Hospitals if the medicines are there. Catholic Priest will have nothing to say and will not called Lucifer by Imenda. Mwamba will have nothing to write and there will be no need to arrest him. What HH and UPND should know is that this is the information age and you can not hide information in a graph or intimidate people in accepting that things are fine.
Letters of such magnitude require to be addressed to a specific person. I don’t think it’s correct to address this letter to the AG’s Chambers. Am I missing something? This is the problem with using politically inclined lawyers. Positive attitude is important in serious engagements. That said, I commend you for taking this matter further. We can’t allow impunity to take center stage of our governance.
@Ayatollah, the letter is addressed to the Attorney General. The others have just been copied hence the CC: You are blogging day in and day out kanshi muli chikopo.
They have been completely decimated by the restructuring deal.They are now firing aimlessly.Lawyers can now make money on their frivolous complaints.Too bad listening to dimwits like Deja Foool,Ka Zulu and company
You people, the case for mwamba was no torture BUT, tatoo fixing gone wrong. Please next time, get tatooes fro,m experienced tatoo artist
Menyani zulu was kiled by upnd cadres in mufumbwe during a by elections
When you are in government you don’t see anything wrong with your actions , the only people who can see your wrongs are those who are not in government and the general public , if you keep thinking like what Mwimbu is thinking then you are living in your own world .
When you hear the catholic church complaining don’t turn a blind eye or insult them , It is the same catholic
church you now insulting who stood for you and your party today you say they hate HH, but until 2021 elections they were your darlings you have forgotten all they did for you as you call them Satan
Makebi Zulu Advocates is pleading these crooks he knows they still have the loot hidden somewhere!!
PF seeking sympathy through lies and over exaggeration………..
Do not wase time on commissions. It is a syrightfrward matter. Stop torture. Stop arresting and keeping people behind bars for days. And keep courts open 24 hours. Judgements shall be givenwith 22 days of closing of a court pleadings. Amatter filed in court shall be taken up with 5 days, heard within 21 days and judgments delivered within 22 days.