After spending six (6) days in Police detention, Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) President Sean Tembo has been formally arrested and charged with the offence of hate speech by the Zambia Police Service.
Speaking shortly in a live video on his Facebook page after being released on Police Bond from Police detention at Woodlands Police Station, Mr Tembo alleged that, last week on Thursday, the Zambia Police kidnapped and held him hostage, a situation he said he didn’t expect to happen under the New Dawn Administration as it was promised that the rule of law will be respected.
“But clearly there’s no rule of law that is being respected,” Mr Tembo said
Mr Tembo explained that the process of arresting and charging someone is something that should not take more than an hour, and in this particular instance, he has seen that this so-called arrest has taken six days as there was no other reasonable excuse that can be given as to why an arrest should take six days without any reason whatsoever other than to try and persecute and intimidate someone.
“At the end of the day, we shall not be subjected to intimidation despite our kidnapping by the Zambia Police Service,” he stated
Mr Tembo mentioned that as an opposition leader, he will relent in ensuring that he provides checks and balances to the government as it is his duty at the end of the day.
“Those checks and balances do not need to be in a manner which is acceptable to the ruling party, no, we will provide checks and balances in a manner that we see fit, regardless of whether we are intimidated or not” Mr Tembo noted
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Media Director of Media Thabo Kawana stated that the sentiments coming from Mr Tembo in the Facebook video suggesting that the Police kidnapped and held him hostage for the last six days without charge are indeed unfortunate to say the least.
Mr Kawana added that this is not only unfortunate and untrue on his part but, also sad for an opposition leader to tell blatant lies
“Mr Sean Tembo detained himself, I say so because I am aware (and anyone can check my facts with the Police) that the Police were ready to arrest and charge Sean Tembo from the very hour they picked him up,” Mr Kawana said
Mr Kawana explained that Mr Tembo refused to be dealt with in the absence of his Lawyers and demanded that any arrest and/or charge to be preferred on him can only be employed in the presence of his Lawyers.
He noted that his Lawyers did not show up until Monday and when they did, they also stated that their client was unwell and needed medical attention immediately. Again, no arrest or charge was conducted as focus turned to the Hospital.
“Mr Tembo was then taken to Hospital were a Doctor attended to him and prescribed a 3-hour bed rest for observation, after that, Mr Tembo was discharged from Hospital and taken back to Police were again, the Police were ready to arrest and charge him,” he said
He alluded that at the Police, he could again not be arrested and charged because his Lawyers left to attend to other matters and Mr Tembo’s preference was that he could not be arrested or charged in the absence of his Lawyers. So again, he spent another night in Police custody.
Mr Kawana mentioned that today, Mr Tembo has been formally arrested and charged in the presence of his Lawyers as per his wish and right.
Mr Kawana mentioned that from the above stated, one can see that the Police did not hold Mr Tembo a minute longer than he himself made it necessary. His prolonged stay in Police custody was his own making and not that of the Police.
“It is not good to play tricks aimed at trying to paint the country black in the eyes of the international community when in fact, people are keeping themselves in Police custody but coming out to claim Police kidnapping and been held hostage, it’s Preposterous,” Mr Kawana stated
Brief facts of the matter are that, on Thursday 1st September, 2022, Mr Tembo was arrested on claims of defaming President Hakainde Hichilema, and while in Police custody Mr Tembo complained of severe stomach pains and was rushed to Chilenje Level 1 hospital where he received treatment and was discharged and taken back into Police detention after his condition was declared to be stable by the medical professionals.
Mr Tembo was seen bundled in the back of a Toyota Corolla at Woodlands Police Station, much to the displeasure of onlookers who expected the Police to at least provide an Ambulance.
The PeP President was escorted by heavily armed officers who had to be moved out of the treatment room during his examination by the medical personnel
Mr Kawana should not derive pleasure in the torture of other citizens. This hate which likely will surpass the PF directionlessness will create monsters in our nation. As for hate speech all of us including your president are guilty.
What torture ………
Do you allow dirty insults in your house ???
No! Only clean insults?
The problem we have in our country, we have lost direction in everything. How a person relate fuel prices to periods, shameless man if I was his mother I would disown him
“…. we will provide checks and balances in a manner that we see fit, regardless of whether we are intimidated or not” Mr Tembo noted…….”
Well , if those checks and balances invoolve defarmation ………..
Expect many more nights in jail faking illness………..
Lemmy kajopa is rally sorting things out………….
Nakachinda, tiyali now ST, the mouth pieces for PF insults have been displined…………
Keep it up PIG, ………….
Salute to the Police inspector General………
We can’t have a situation where zambian youth grow to think PF insults and dirty language is normal…………
Kawana needs to please keep quiet, my word! This guy is everywhere destroying everything, it’s not his job to talk about this, leave Hamoonga to do his work!
That’s still a kidnap, did the police allow Sean Tembo to leave the police station freely? If Tembo’s lawyers were not available, what reason did they have to keep him there?
Has Kawana become police spokesman?
He did not want to enter any plea………..innocent or guilty with out the presence of his lawyers…….
Police don’t collect suspects and let them walk out if they don’t agree to say anything without their lawyers who then dont turn up………….
is it a requirement that a person has to be in the police cells to be arrested and charged?
No that’s just to bully him by the authority. When they can use government machinery to deny you your freedom it is so that you can be threatened each time you cross daggers.
F00lish hh, awunfwa insoni ukuma charga na defamation. Fuseke
Spaka numbskull… how much insult did someone pour on Edgar Lungu? He referred to him as a male genital while in northern province
Do you allow dirty language and insults in your house ????
Zambia Police standard operating procedure: Arrest, think of a charge, warn and caution , then charge
Why they detain people for several days trying to figure out an appropriate charge. They understood later that they couldn’t charge him for defamation since he said bally and didn’t name anyone. Defamation requires that reasonable people in society look down on a defamed person as a result of a statement. It can only be defamation if it was said HH was a corrupt individual who was stealing from the public, there must be a false statement.
But if you can prove that HH is a corrupt individual who is stealing from the public, there is no defamation. Thats why its difficult to convict journalists in developed democracies because they usually have facts supporting their allegations
Thabo Kawana should be no where near Ministry of Information this is a cadre like Sunday and Antonia were in PF media team, UPND need to create their own team not use taxpayer’s money with fake job roles
Thabo Kawana should be no where near Ministry of Information this is a cadre like Sun day and Ant oni a were in PF media team, UPND need to create their own team not use taxpayer’s money with fake job roles
Even the name Ant oni a Mwanza requires moderation on LT.
Ba Kawana even after one year in power you still look ashy….kikiki. Police should have let Sean Tembo go home and watch his Arsenal team get beaten over the weekend, then arrest/charge him again in the presence of his lawyers. I’m sure the Police will get it right next time. Lets live and learn. Bally will fix all these silly laws, its just not top priority at the moment.
These chaps like Buffoon CK, Tayali, ST have too much time to waste…during KK’s time they would take to Lusaka West’s infamous red brick house and you will be lucky to walk.
Just checking if I am still blacklisted on LT.
What happened to the deformation of the….. case? only to be charged with hate speech ok , and where is mr hamonga or ms information minister its like kabwana has taken over the show, if really hate speech in zambia is a crime i am challenging the law enforcers (ZP) To take a closure look at social media platforms were hate speech is practice day in day out or hate speech charges laws are only made for politians
Where is Mubita? The one who refused a brand new 4×4 , money and a house opting for a vitz to fight for his leader kanshi….? Is he ku wire?
ZAMBIA IS UNDER GODS PROTECTION. ZAMBIA DESPITE ANY POLITICAL PARTY IN OFFICE IS GOD PROTECTRATE. UPND UNDER ONE YEAR, IS LOSING DIRECTION ECONOMICALLY AND MORALLY. I GAVE UPND A VOTE, BUT I WILL BE ANALYSING THE WORTHY OF THAT VOTE. UPND under one year in power has and is DE campaigning itself AS PF DECAMPAIGNED ITSEL. IF YOU WANT THE ZAMBIAN MANDATE TO RULE THEM, DO THE RIGHT THINGS TO BEST OF YOUR STRENGTH ALL THE TIME. Otherwise many Zambians are good are good teachers to mark any political party political examinations.
If we are to understand hate speech according to the UN as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or group on the basis of who they are” then I am left wondering how the comparison of Bally’s monthly fuel adjustment with women’s menstrual cycle constitutes hate speech. Can anyone tell me how the utterance by Sean Tembo constitutes a form of incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence. Who in this case is the target of discrimination, hostility and incitement? Is it Bally or is it women from which their menstrual cycle was taken merely for purposes of comparison? How are women or Bally targets of discrimination, hostility and incitement in this case?
Corrected version: If we are to understand hate speech according to the UN as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or group on the basis of who they are” then I am left wondering how the comparison of Bally’s monthly fuel adjustment with women’s menstrual cycle constitutes hate speech. Can anyone tell me how the utterance by Sean Tembo constitutes a form of incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence. Who in this case is the target of discrimination, hostility and violence? Is it Bally or is it women from which their menstrual cycle was taken merely for purposes of comparison? How are women or Bally targets of discrimination, hostility and violence in this case?
The prosecutors will have a tough time trying to get HH and Kajoba’s definition of hate speech explained to the Judge.
Sean Tembo can stay in police cells for as long as he likes. He has no manners in that our wives, mothers, sisters and every woman on this planet was insulted indirectly through his dull speech.
Go back ku night school….
I hope and pray there are no women in your family because if there are, then you should be a disgrace