Human Rights Watch accuses Zambia of post-election crackdown on opposition

Human Rights Watch has accused Zambian security forces of widespread human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, beatings and threats against opposition members, lawyers, journalists and government critics following the August 2026 general elections.

In a statement issued on November 2, the international rights organisation said the alleged abuses had created a climate of intimidation and harassment that was restricting civic and political activity, particularly among those critical of the government.

Human Rights Watch called on authorities to end the crackdown, grant detainees access to lawyers and medical care, release those arbitrarily detained and hold security personnel accountable for alleged abuses.

President Hakainde Hichilema was re-elected in the August 13 election, which the organisation said observers had criticised over alleged irregularities, including the suspension of vote counting and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

“Zambia’s government should break this dangerous cycle of repression,” said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, Human Rights Watch’s deputy Africa director.

Budoo-Scholtz said the organisation had documented 14 cases in August that appeared to constitute enforced disappearances, in which authorities allegedly refused to disclose the whereabouts or circumstances of detained individuals.

Some victims, their relatives and lawyers told the organisation that the military had held some of those detained.

Human Rights Watch also documented 61 cases in which detainees, their lawyers or relatives alleged that individuals had been beaten or subjected to other forms of violence during arrests or detention.

The organisation said 18 people had been charged with treason, while two were also facing sedition charges.

Among the incidents cited was an August 14 raid at the Lusaka home of Tonse Alliance opposition leader Brian Mundubile, during which opposition members alleged that former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was killed by security forces.

Budoo-Scholtz said Inspector General of Police Graphel Musamba had stated that officers involved in a joint intelligence-led operation came under gunfire and resistance, prompting them to return fire. However, he said public officials had issued conflicting accounts of the operation.

Human Rights Watch also cited the detention of 43 opposition members who were serving as election monitors on August 14.

According to the organisation, their lawyer said their whereabouts remained unknown for eight days, while police denied holding them.

“Most of them were swollen and had terrible injuries, including broken bones. They said they had been brutalized by the military,” Budoo-Scholtz quoted a lawyer as telling the organisation.

He said lawyers subsequently filed a habeas corpus application, prompting a Lusaka court to order the immediate release of the detainees on September 10.

The organisation also referred to concerns raised by the Law Association of Zambia and the Human Rights Commission over prolonged detentions.

In addition, Human Rights Watch said it had documented 71 cases of arrests on charges it considered potentially politically motivated, two cases involving alleged harassment of relatives of critics living abroad, and seven instances in which people, including lawyers and a journalist, fled their homes fearing arrest.

“The Zambian government needs to end its brazen human rights crackdown. Leaders in Southern Africa and Zambia’s development partners should encourage President Hichilema to restore the rule of law and ensure that civic and political spaces are protected,” Budoo-Scholtz said.

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