UPND REJECTS UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT, CALLS IT MISGUIDED BLACKMAIL

The United Party for National Development-UPND has strongly rejected a recent United Nations human rights report, calling it “lopsided, misdirected at law, and lacking seriousness from the people that prepared it

UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe has called the report biased, misleading and  misrepresentation of Zambia’s legal processes and undermines the country’s sovereignty.

Mr. Simuuwe has pointed tonthe fact that the report unfairly criticizes Zambia’s Cyber Security Act, which criminalizes hate speech, cyberbullying, and blackmail  laws similar to those in Western countries.

He has challenged the UN to present evidence of Zambians imprisoned without breaking the law, saying no such cases exist.

And the UPND has questioned the objectivity of the report’s authors, accusing them of pushing foreign values including support for same-sex rights that Zambia has constitutionally rejected.

He says institutions such as the EU, IMF, and World Bank have supported Zambia for improved governance and human rights, which the UN report contradicts on-the-ground realities.