A Response to Laura Miti’s Dismissal of Dr. Sishuwa’s Open Letter to President Hakainde Hichilema

On 9 July 2025, you, Madam Laura Miti, a self-proclaimed human rights activist and one of President Hichilema’s most vocal defenders, took to social media to mock and dismiss these threats as unfounded and laughable. Worse still, you falsely claimed, without offering any evidence, that Dr. Sishuwa has a history of making similar allegations against previous Zambian presidents, and that you were “tired” of hearing him “sing the same song.”

Let us be clear: nowhere in Dr. Sishuwa’s letter does he state that Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata, or Edgar Lungu ever threatened his life. Nor is there any published record in which he makes such allegations. You, Madam Miti, fabricated this narrative and used it to unjustly discredit Dr. Sishuwa and trivialize the genuine dangers he is facing.

This is not only irresponsible; it is a calculated distortion of the truth and a shameful betrayal of the very principles you claim to stand for. You call yourself a human rights defender, yet when a fellow citizen—one whose voice has consistently spoken truth to power—raises concerns about threats to his life, you respond not with empathy but with mockery and deflection.

You also appear to have deliberately ignored an important point Dr. Sishuwa made in that letter. He made it clear that he was addressing President Hichilema directly, precisely because the President knows what he was referring to. These are details that his supporters, including yourself, do not know. He specifically urged that the intended recipient, and no one else, should respond. So why did you feel compelled to respond at all? Was it an attempt to shield the President from legitimate criticism, or simply another instance of dismissing dissent to score political points?

You chose to completely sidestep the content of Dr. Sishuwa’s critique. His warnings about democratic backsliding, the politicisation of the police, the erosion of civil liberties, and the betrayal of the UPND’s promises were all ignored. Rather than engage with these pressing issues, you attacked his character and turned the victim into the villain.

If you genuinely believe that Dr. Sishuwa’s claims are exaggerated or false, then the responsible and ethical response would be to demand an impartial investigation. Not to dismiss them outright and mock the idea that his life might be in danger. By belittling his concerns without evidence and by spreading misinformation about his past positions, you contribute to a toxic environment where whistleblowers and dissenters are delegitimised and left vulnerable.

Zambia needs human rights defenders who speak out regardless of who is in power, who protect the space for dissent, and who treat every life and every voice with seriousness and dignity. That is the role you once claimed. If you can no longer uphold that standard, then you should stop using the language of activism to serve political convenience.

Zambia’s democracy, fragile as it is, depends on our willingness to protect dissent, not punish it.