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A woman accused of murdering her husband has filed a complaint in the Lusaka High Court, alleging she was tortured and raped by police officers while in custody.
Meya Masumba Miti, who has been detained since September 13, 2024, without appearing before any court, claimed in an affidavit that she was sexually assaulted by a police officer from Chilanga Police Station and physically tortured during interrogation.
She is currently held at Lusaka Central Police Station and has applied for a writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum, seeking a court order requiring police to justify her continued detention.
According to her affidavit, Miti and her husband, Dr. Francisco Miti—a retired official from the Ministry of Agriculture—were attacked while sleeping at their home in August 2024.
Dr. Miti sustained severe head injuries from a blunt object and later died at the University Teaching Hospital.
After his burial, Miti said two of his sisters accused her of orchestrating his death, leading to her arrest.
Read more: Police investigate suspected rape, murder in Lusaka’s Garden House
She alleged that on the night of her arrest, she was tortured by her arresting officer and seven other male officers at Chilanga Police Station.
She claimed to still bear visible injuries on her arms and legs.
The following day, she was transferred to Musamba Police Post but was returned to Chilanga for further questioning. After the interrogation, two male officers were assigned to return her to Musamba—but instead, she claims they diverted toward a bushy area near the Chilanga Cement road.
While handcuffed, Miti alleges that one of the officers raped her while the other remained in the police vehicle.
She says she can identify the officer and has requested a formal identification parade.
After the alleged assault, Miti says she was threatened into silence and held incommunicado for over a week, without access to visitors.
She was subsequently transferred to Linda Police Station and later to Lusaka Central Police Station.
During a recent visit by a United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights, Miti says she was temporarily moved to the Lusaka Central Correctional Facility to hide her presence from the UN official, before being returned to police custody.
She disclosed her ordeal to her younger brother, Leonard Musamba—initially excluding details of the rape—and later gave a full account to her lawyer.
Musamba submitted a formal complaint to the Inspector General of Police on February 25, 2025, with copies sent to the Attorney General’s office and other authorities.
The Attorney General’s office acknowledged receipt of the complaint on March 5, 2025, indicating they had sought further instructions from their client.
Miti argued that she has not been charged or presented before any court since her arrest, in violation of constitutional protections guaranteeing liberty and due process.
Her legal team is now seeking the court’s intervention to compel the Lusaka Division Commissioner of Police to explain her continued detention and to ensure that she is either formally charged or released.
They also requested that a formal identification process be conducted so she can point out the officer she alleges raped her.
“The continued refusal to bring me before court is not only unjustified but illegal,” Miti stated in her affidavit.
She said: “My liberty and dignity have been violated, and my life remains in danger if I continue to be held without due process.”
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