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The Alliance for Human Rights and Governance (ALHURIGO) is up in arms against police on the Copperbelt for not granting them a permit to hold a closed door meeting.
ALHURIGO Zambia Chapter Interim Chairperson, Philemon Phiri, says Zambia was recently peer reviewed as a maturity of democratic practice with a high level of commitment to liberation movements on the Africa continent.
Mr Phiri says Zambia must not lose her dignity and status of peace and democracy because of a few selfish police officers that people and the Head of State have put into public offices.
He said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
“The meeting was scheduled to take place today (June, 8, 2013) at New Ambassador Hotel in Ndola whose objectives was, among other things, to strengthen our good governance advocacy and our participation in active politics and development and remain non-partisan.
“It’s regrettable that the Police in Ndola denied us a permit and access to association, freedom of expression and fundamental human right,” Mr Phiri lamented.
He stressed that the meeting was vital to discuss the four thematic areas of APRM, the UN 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and people’s rights.
He added that the Forum for Good Governance, Gender Equity and Justice International together with the Samaritan Strategy Foundation of Zambia were given a mandated to spearhead the organisation for Civil Society Organisations’ Consultative meeting in Ndola on the Copperbelt Province but, unfortunately, the meeting did not take place because of selfishness by some police officers.
He charged that holding a closed door meeting does not require a police permit but only did so not to be in confrontation with the law.
The ALHURIGO Interim Chairperson is, however, optimistic that the PF government would sternly deal with undemocratic people frustrating government’s efforts.
By press time, efforts to get a comment from Copperbelt Police Chief, Mary Tembo on the matter, proved futile.
