HRF condemns the Zambian regime’s arbitrary cancellation of the passports of six government critics along with the stripping of nationality from two others. HRF calls for these grave abuses of administrative powers—imposed without due process—to be lifted immediately and for Hakainde Hichilema’s regime to end its ongoing, politically-motivated crackdown on dissent.
On Sept. 11, the Zambian government published a gazette notice canceling the passports of six prominent critics on unspecified national security grounds. This includes four opposition members—former ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba, former lawmaker Emmanuel Jay Banda, current lawmaker Binwell Mpundu, and Peter Kaiser Zulu, a political advisor to former ruler Edgar Lungu—along with UK-based social media influencer Lillian Mutambo, and academic Sishuwa Sishuwa.
Authorities have also stripped Sishuwa, a respected historian and senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University, and opposition politician and lawyer Celestine Mukandila of their citizenship. Mukandila has filed a legal challenge to the measure. A petition calling on the Zambian regime to reinstate the passports has garnered more than 1,400 signatures.
In a joint statement, five local civil society organizations expressed concern about repression targeting political opponents and dissenting voices following Zambia’s disputed Aug. 13 election. The groups decried a pattern of abusive practices, including unlawful and prolonged detention, denial of access to legal counsel and family members, and inhumane and degrading treatment.
