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The Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has accused police of abusing provisions on unlawful assembly and demanded that charges against opposition members on the Copperbelt Province and elsewhere be withdrawn.
In a statement issued on Monday, FDD spokesperson, Anthony Chibuye, said police were misapplying the law by treating gatherings involving opponents of President Hakainde Hichilema as criminal, while ordinary social and community meetings faced no such scrutiny.
He said citizens’ right to assemble was fundamental and not subject to the discretion of the Mwala Yuyi or the presidency.
“How often do police require notifications for weddings, church services, chilangamulilo or village banking? None,” Chibuye said, arguing that the law was being selectively applied to opposition events.
He said it was “strange” that individuals meeting to plan national events such as Women’s Day on March 8 and Youth Day on March 12, 2026, were being deemed to have convened unlawfully.
Chibuye urged President Hichilema to instruct the police command to align its operations with “justice and modern practice,” warning that over-policing of gatherings undermined professionalism.
He argued that businesses, church choirs and other community groups regularly meet without notifying police, and requiring such notifications would be impractical.
Chibuye said the United Party for National Development (UPND) had previously condemned similar practices under the former Patriotic Front administration, which he said used the law to block Hichilema and the UPND from holding key meetings.
“It’s disappointing that instead of walking a different path, the UPND is walking the very path it condemned the PF for—and this time worse,” he said.
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