LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi Police Service officers at Lingadzi station are denying everyone who wants to pay homage to the detained human rights activist Sylvester Namiwa.
Namiwa has been arrested for false news publication, according to deputy national police publicist Alfred Chinthere.
On Thursday evening, UTM President, Dalitso Kabambe, spent about an hour at Lingadzi Police Station seeking access to but was not allowed to see him
Kabambe arrived at the police station around 5 p.m., joining a growing number of people seeking access to Namiwa, who had been arrested earlier that day.
Despite waiting and engaging police officers, Kabambe left the station without meeting the activist.
After the visit, Kabambe called for transparency and due process, saying authorities should clearly explain the allegations against Namiwa and ensure the matter is handled fairly and in accordance with the law.
“Malawi must never become a police state,” Kabambe said, warning against the use of state institutions to intimidate or silence citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
Human rights defenders Benedicto Kondowe and Charles Kajoloweka also visited the station.
Kondowe said he was denied access after police informed him that visiting hours had ended, adding that he would return on Friday morning.
Chimthere confirmed that Namiwa had been arrested on allegations of publishing false news and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
He said the activist remains in custody at Lingadzi Police Station.
The failed attempts by Kabambe and other rights defenders to meet Namiwa have intensified public interest in the case, with calls mounting for police to handle the matter openly and in line with constitutional protections.
This comes barely hours after the activist refused to apologise to Lands Minister Chimwemwe Chipungu on allegedly uncounted worth accumulated in shortest period after the appointment as a cabinet minister.
Is Malawi becoming a police state? Why denying people to see the detained person in cell?
More to come…
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