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SADC must act on Malawi human rights abuses: release all prisoners of conscience
Youth Forum
October 19, 2011

The Youth Forum, in lieu of Zimbabwean youths, urges the Malawian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the 5 young activists they arrested for conducting a peaceful demonstration in the capital, Lilongwe at the Malawian Parliament on Friday.

The activists, who comprise Billy Mayaya, Habiba Osman, Brian Nyausulu, Ben Chiza Mkandawire and Comfort Chitseko all working with different civic society organizations, were arrested on Friday after taking part in a small peaceful demonstration urging increasingly despotic president Bingi Wa Mutharika to hold a referendum calling for an early election. They also called for the resignation of police chief General Peter Mukhita, who is allegedly involved and tied to the death of student activists Robert Chasowa in September.

They were arrested under the draconian Police Act, which, similar to Zimbabwe's Public Order and Security Act, requires all demonstrators to obtain permission from the partisan police force. With the Malawian Government now increasingly taking a tough stance on any demonstrators, we see the creation of a new Zimbabwe in the region, and it is upon SADC to deal with the situation before the whole region becomes dictatorial and repressive.

It is important to remind the regional leaders that in July, 18 people were killed after government police used live ammunition on anti-government protesters and more and more Malawian human rights defenders and government critics receiving deaths threats and getting arrested with petrol bombs aiming government critics becoming a normal thing.

It is also feared that Brian Nyasulu has been denied medical treatment for his diabetic condition while in detention. Such unrestrained human rights abuses should be condemned with the contempt they deserve and calls for authorities to take action.

The youths of Zimbabwe demand that such human rights abuses in the region end as a matter of urgency and that SADC look at the Malawian situation before the situation deteriorates to Zimbabwean levels as this is setting a bad precedence to other regional leaders. All SADC member states must uphold the rights to freedoms of expression and assembly as the region faces a major uprising if the situation is not addressed.

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