The Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has penned the international community accusing the governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) of “dismantling democratic structures and establishing a police state”.
In the lettter, DPP Secretary General Peter Mukhito has reached out to Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, African Union, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and European External Action Services.
The letter has also been extended to Ambassadors of Britain, Germany, United States European Union and Norway.
Among others, Mukhito lamented that it was ” increasingly alarming that senior opposition members and Members of Parliament are facing politically motivated arrests, even while the law provides explicit protections for them during parliamentary committee meetings”.
“Additionally, we have witnessed former senior government officials detained on fabricated charges dating back as far as 2020. These politically driven arrests are often publicly announced by ruling party officials in Parliament, designed to intimidate and suppress opposition voices,” said Mukhito.
He added that Malawians were also being denied their fundamental right to peaceful demonstrations, where, he said, District Commissioners, who are mandated to regulate demonstrations, “continuously find excuses to deny this right to the populace”.
He said in instances where demonstrators are granted permission, MCP cadres armed with pangas are deployed to intimidate participants, and some demonstrators have been violently harmed while police stand by without intervention.
“Moreover, it is profoundly disturbing that MCP cadres were facilitated entry into the parliamentary chamber during the last session, where they proceeded to intimidate individual Members of Parliament from the DPP, undermining the sanctity of our legislative process.
“The integrity of our democracy and the fundamental rights of our citizens are under immense threat. Consequently, we are calling on the international donor community to intervene in this crisis, including the imposition of sanctions that would compel the Malawi Congress Party government to return to the principles of democratic governance and the rule of law,” said Mukhito.
Mukhito did not spare the Malawi Police Service, which he accused of being unprofessional, by among others being used as political instruments and keeping suspects beyond the 48 hour rule.There was no immediate response from the government as we went to press on Tuesday afternoon.
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