PF will no longer take Amnesty International seriously

Sunday, January 28, 2018 – THE ruling Patriotic Front party has exposed a dirty scheme by Amnesty International working together with the UPND and a South African-based political foundation to sponsor a smear media campaign against Zambia using the self-exiled musician Fumba Chama aka Pilato.

The PF has categorically dismissed the allegations by PILATO, an economic refugee, trying to earn a living in South Africa and England by lying that his life was in danger in Zambia.

The PF has emphasized that the ruling Party had no business pursuing Pilato as evidenced by other worse critics of President Edgar Lungu who were still enjoying their freedom within the Country.

“There are no conditions in Zambia to warrant Pilato to go into self-imposed exile unless he seeks to exaggerate his importance. We have private media hostile to the PF but none of their editors have ever contemplated running away from the country. Pilato has been seeking an appointment with President Lungu for eight (8) months and that has not been granted. That cannot amount to political hostility as the Presidency reserves the right on who to meet, when and of where”.

And PF media Director says UPND, working with a known Foundation in South Africa is sponsoring media space for Fumba Chama with an agenda to project Zambia as a country void of freedom of expression.

Addressing journalists after the PF Interactive Forum in Lusaka, Mr Chanda named a known south African based Foundation in collusion with the Opposition UPND to have been behind Pilato’s relocation to South Africa.

“Pilato is supposed to appear before the Courts tomorrow, Monday 29th January 2018 with his co-accused in a matter unrelated to his song but clearly he will jump bail and if a warrant of arrest is issued by the Courts, his paymasters will claim political victimisation. His co-accused are moving about as free citizens and we wonder why he must project himself as the endangered species”, he observed.

Mail and Guardian, financial times London and ENCA SA among the international media organisations contracted by Amnesty to create a false brand about Zambia.

“Amnesty International should not be used to do International media placements by working with Known Zambians who may be on their sponsor’s payroll,” Said Mr Chanda

“His masters have placed space in the Mail and Guardian, financial times London, ENCA SA with an agenda of showing there is no freedom of expression in Zambia. He is not a political refugee. He is a political project”

And Mr Chanda has clarified that Pilato’s song has not been banned in the country.

He disclosed that Amnesty International never attempted to help any other person in the country apart from Pilato and Zambians must ask if they have been strategizing with his pay masters.

“Amnesty International is using pilato’s falsified version in South Africa to raise alarm. He has featured on BBC Africa, ENCA and sponsored an article for him in the Mail and Guardian and their is another article underway to be published in the Financial Times in London and another one earmarked for SABC. This has all been planned by the UPND and a known Foundation in South Africa. He has been hired to champion their mission of giving Zambia a bad name in the international community ,” he revealed

Meanwhile, the PF media Director has explained that the reason Zambians have lost confidence in Amnesty is a result of false alarms the orgainisation created and have not be proven to date.

“Amnesty once came to Zambia and lied that 15 extra-judicial killings happened after elections and never named them until now. They haven’t named or identified the prisons holding the alleged 100 political detainees they claimed. Thats why the Zambian authorities have very low level of confidence in Amnesty international.”

“Zambians must look at amnesty international as a political organization and will take their advice with a pinch of salt,” said Mr. Chanda.

The PF will no longer take Amnesty International seriously because they clearly compromised and now they have been retained as a PR with the wing of the opposition Upnd under a dirty agreement that allows them to receive the cash donation from a know South African foundation established by a powerful mining dynasty.