Zambia : Global Watchdog Raises Alarm Over Zambia's Shrinking Civic Space

Amnesty International warns of intensified rights abuses ahead of Zambia’s polls, cites arrests and press attacks

Amnesty International has warned that Zambia must brace for intensified human rights abuses in the run-up to Thursday’s general election, citing arbitrary arrests, attacks on journalists and a shrinking civic space in its latest assessment of the country’s political environment.

The global rights watchdog’s August 2026 briefing called on government to end what it described as the arbitrary arrest, detention, intimidation and prosecution of journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, activists and opposition political leaders in the weeks before the vote.

The report documented cases of government critics detained without access to food or water, with families in some instances not informed of their whereabouts, a pattern the organisation said risked deepening mistrust in state institutions during an already tense campaign period.

Amnesty also catalogued specific attacks on the press, including the 2024 sedition arrest of journalist Thomas Zgambo, the detention of two television journalists in Kafue that same year, and the assault of journalist Alfonso Kasongo in Chipata in April 2026, incidents the organisation said reflected a broader pattern of pressure on independent media covering the election.

The organisation said it had received credible reports of political violence carried out by party cadres, without what it called effective investigation or accountability from law enforcement, and cited concerns previously raised by the Law Association of Zambia over the failure of police to act against those implicated in such incidents.

Amnesty was also critical of the Public Order Act, which it said continues to restrict peaceful assembly, and flagged the fast-tracking of 77 bills through Parliament in May 2026 as a development it believes has limited space for public participation in the legislative process ahead of the election.

The organisation recommended that government repeal laws criminalising sedition and insulting language, arguing that such provisions are frequently used to stifle legitimate criticism, and called for independent investigations into all reported incidents of political violence regardless of which party’s supporters are implicated.

The warning lands amid a campaign period already marked by heightened public concern over political rhetoric and security conduct, following days of controversy over remarks by Tonse Alliance official Binwell Mpundu, competing accusations between NRPUP and state security over access to Southern Province, and reports of a police raid on the Tonse-PF Pamodzi Alliance’s media centre in Lusaka.

Civil society groups in Zambia have echoed some of Amnesty’s concerns in recent days. The Human Rights Commission separately raised alarm over incidents in Livingstone and Western Province, where opposition entourages were reportedly obstructed from observing ballot verification processes, while faith leaders have repeatedly appealed to political parties to hold their own supporters accountable for inflammatory language.

Government has not yet issued a formal response to Amnesty’s briefing. Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana has, in separate remarks this week, condemned instigation of violence from any political quarter and urged law enforcement agencies to act against anyone found to be inciting unrest, though he did not directly address the specific incidents cited in the Amnesty report.

With polling stations set to open at 06:00 hours on Thursday, the briefing adds an international dimension to domestic concerns already raised by local civil society and religious leaders about the conduct of Zambia’s campaign in its final days.

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