After revealing shocking corruption, socialist leader and journalist was illegally detained for "sedition" for four days
Dr. Fred M'membe, the President of the Socialist Party of Zambia, was just released from the Twin Palm Police Cells on August 12, after being jailed since August 8.
The circumstances around Dr. M'membe's detention were legally dubious at best. M'membe was arrested on charges of sedition for publishing a newspaper article reporting an incident of severe corruption, in which Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi allegedly boasted that he had paid off "Zambia" USD 20 million for support.
While detained, the socialist leader requested a writ of habeas corpus to direct the Zambia Police Service as to show why he had not been released immediately, as he was refused bail and never given an appearance in court on a bondable offense.
Dr. M'membe has been arrested numerous times last year, when he was arrested on charges of "espionage" in November of 2023 and "political violence" and "libel" in August of 2023, two separate arrests that same month. These arrests were made in relation to M'membe's criticism of the Zambian government. The Socialist Party of Zambia as a whole has engaged in criticism of the government for entering into austerity agreements the high cost of living taking a toll on the working class.
"The SP President feels that his detention is illegal, unlawful, and a contravention of his freedom as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia," reads a post by the Socialist Party of Zambia.
"What we are seeing are actions of little frightened men, scared of their own shadows, because of the many crimes they have committed against the Zambian people," said Dr. M'membe upon release. "They promised things they can't do. They promised police bonds for bondable offenses, they don't do it."
Upon Dr. M'membe's detention, several socialist and working class organizations issued statements of solidarity with the party leader. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa wrote that Dr. M'membe is the "victim of harassment by a paranoid, intolerant state."
"NUMSA stands in solidarity with Dr. M'membe, the Socialist Party and the people of Zambia. We condemn the Zambian government for abusing its power and for silencing opposition parties. Intolerance of opposition politics is one of the hallmarks of an autocratic state. NUMSA is warning the Zambian state that we are watching them and we have noted how the state is reacting with increased violence against opposition leaders, and dissenting voices," the union wrote.
"Dr M'membe has been subjected to a pattern of harassment, with multiple arrests under false pretences, interrogation in remote police stations, and no substantial evidence against him. These arrests are nothing but a crude form of intimidation," wrote the Secretariat of left-wing media project Pan Africanism Today.
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The Socialist Movement of Ghana also expressed their solidarity, rejecting "the claim that [M'membe's] article is 'seditious."'
"Cde Mmembe is a professional journalist. Zambian citizens have a right to know if Zambian officials are conspiring to repress political dissent in DRC," the SMG wrote. "Cde Mmembe's arrest and detention without bail are political. The Hichilema administration, like so many regimes across the continent, seeks to silence its critics and thereby end growing opposition to the neocolonial exploitation it presides over."
"The Socialist Movement of Ghana stands in solidarity with Cde Mmembe, the Socialist Party of Zambia and the Zambian people in their struggle for economic and social justice," the SMG asserted.
