POLICE EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN ZAMBIA RAISE ALARM AS TWO MORE ARE GUNNED DOWN
THE environment was tense and politically charged as Lusaka came to a standstill on Wednesday 23 rd December, 2020. Gunshots were loud and teargas smoke filled the air as police struggled to control political party supporters on the streets. Two men Nsama Nsama Chipyoka a public prosecutor and Joseph Kaunda an opposition party supporter died of gunshot wounds during the fracas. Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja confirmed the deaths, but said they occurred in “unknown circumstances” while officers tried to break up the gathering. President Edgar Lungu only responded to the “murders” over 24 hours after they happened by describing the killer as an assailant, a description that purports to exonerate the police from the deaths which would qualify for extra-judicial killings. This development adds a further stain on Zambia’s deteriorating human rights record. President Lungu has directed the Inspector General to use every resource available to fully investigate these murde