HRW calls on Zambia to halt post-election crackdown

What the report says

Human Rights Watch has urged Zambia’s authorities to stop what it describes as an intensifying crackdown on political opponents after President Hakainde Hichilema’s disputed August election victory. In a report released Sunday, the rights group said the post-election atmosphere has included intimidation, harassment and repression affecting opposition members, journalists, lawyers and other critics.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, HRW said Zambian police and military forces forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, beat and threatened people in the days before and after the August 2026 vote. The group called for detainees to be given access to lawyers and medical care, for all arbitrarily held people to be released, and for abuses by security forces to be investigated and held accountable.

The article says Hichilema was sworn in for a second term in the capital, Lusaka, while his main rival Brian Mundubile was in detention on treason accusations after claiming the opposition had won. Al Jazeera also reported that police raided Mundubile’s home after the election, and that former cabinet member Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot and killed during the operation. Around a dozen other opposition figures have also reportedly been arrested.

HRW further said the closure of Zambia’s courts shortly after the election could block legal challenges to the result. The situation matters because it raises concerns about political freedom, due process and the handling of disputed elections in Zambia.