Zambia opposition leader released, treason charges dropped

LUSAKA, Aug. 17– Zambia’s leading opposition leader on Wednesday
said he has always been innocent of the treason charges he was slapped with.

Hakainde Hichilema, who was freed by a judge on Wednesday morning after the
state prosecutor dropped charges against him of plotting to overthrow the
government, said he remains resolute that the treason charge was a
political machination meant to silence him. Hichilema and five others were
arrested in April this year and have been in custody since then as treason
is not bailable in Zambia. “We have been innocent and shall be,” he said in
a brief statement posted on his Facebook page. He however said he wanted a
better Zambia.

The opposition leader later told his supporters at the party’s secretariat
that he was committed to peace and stability of the country in order to
ensure development. He said the country was divided on political lines and
called for purpose of unity from all stakeholders. The opposition leader
further said the time he spent in prison had not crushed him but made him
even stronger. “We cannot continue living the way we are, it is
uncomfortable. It is our collective duty to bring back unity in our
country. We are so divided,” he added. His release sparked wide
celebrations in the Zambian capital as his convoy was driven from the
Chimbokaila Prison where he was held to the party’s secretariat.
Hichilema’s arrest had heightened tension in the southern African nation
after last year’s disputed elections, with stakeholders calling for
dialogue to ease the tension.Last week, Commonwealth Secretary-General
Patricia Scott visited Zambia and met both President Edgar Lungu and the
opposition leader where she facilitated a process of dialogue between the
two political foes. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo also
visited the southern African nation and held talks with Lungu and the
opposition leader. In June, church leaders from the influential Catholic
Church held talks with Lungu and called for the release of the opposition
leader in order to ease tension in the country. The church leaders also
visited the opposition leader in prison. Hichilema, 55, is a wealthy
businessman who narrowly lost to Lungu in last year’s elections but has
refused to concede defeat, claiming the vote was stolen from him.- XINHUA