Zambia: Protesting Students Released

CDDR-zambia
Zambian police beat and teargas opposition protesters (file photo).
20 May 2013
allAfrica.com

Cape Town — Zambia police have reportedly freed the university students detained on the president's orders after they protested against the government's decision to drop the maize and petrol subsidies.

According to AFP, the students were released after paying admission of guilt fines.

Hundreds of students from the University of Zambia had marched to President Michael Sata's office on Friday, demanding an audience with him.

Sata, who was away from the capital, ordered the police to arrest them - also telling the minister of education to expel the students from the university, AFP reports.

The president then yielded to pressure from the international community, opposition political parties and civil society organisations and withdrew his arrest order.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2013 allAfrica.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.