‘HRC is hypocritical’

By AARON CHIYANZO IT is highly hypocritical for the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to demand the immediate release of the four UPND officials who have been held over the missing Hatembo siblings while completely ignoring the safety of the poor family, Citizens Democratic Party president Robert Mwanza has said. Mr Mwanza said the HRC should be calling on investigative wings to get to the bottom of the Hatembos’ plight so that they were safely reunited with their family. He questioned why HRC was only concerned about the rights of opposition political party officials being infringed but not those of poor people who have been denied their freedom. HRC has demanded that the police either grant bond to the former minister, Mr Ackson Sejani, Choma mayor Javen Simoloka, Mazabuka mayor Vincent Lilanda and Choma businessman, Malambo or take them to court. The HRC is concerned that the quartet has been deprived of their right to personal liberty. Mr Mwanza however said the personal liberty of the Hatembo siblings was equally important. He said it was hypocritical for the HRC to take sides and look at the Hatembos’ matter from a one-sided point of view. Mr Mwanza said the fact that Pheluna Hatembo and her brother Milton had been missing for over two months, leaving behind a sick daughter, was reason enough for the HRC to become concerned. Mr Mwanza questioned why the HRC was always alarmed when a matter involved the UPND but kept quiet on other important national matters. He said the HRC was quick in defending the UPND whenever they were in question but remained mute when it was the State. FDD president Edith Nawakwi has stated that the Hatembos’ were being held to prevent them challenging the alleged fraudulent acquisition of the 2, 000 hectare farm by UPND president Hakainde Hichilema. Ms Nawakwi said the abduction is about making sure that the filing in of presidential nominations for the August 12 elections is incident free for Mr Hichilema.