Skip to content
EU Parl WatchResearch
Projects

Text · Adopted text

Post-electoral repression in Zambia and the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya

Document TA-10-2026-0311 · P10_TA(2026)0311 · PE788.262

Kind
Adopted text TA-10-2026-0311
Date
17 September 2026
Dossier
2026/2876(RSP)
More facts (3)
Voted
  • 17 Sept 2026 (adopted text) Adopted 562 for, 1 against, 33 abstained
Formats
Official page PDF Word
Subject matter
DDLH, PESC
More
Cite this page Official page (opens the official site)
Link to this page

In short

A summary of the text written by AI; ¶ opens the paragraph it rests on.

AI: In short Written by AI from the official text — check the source · deepseek-flash · 18 Sept 2026

Parliament's resolution condemns the killing of opposition member and former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya and the rise in political repression in Zambia since the 13 August 2026 elections. It urges Zambia to investigate unlawful use of force, arbitrary arrest and intimidation, and to hold those responsible accountable. It calls on Zambia to end arbitrary detention of opposition members and supporters, ensure detainees know the grounds for arrest and charges, have access to lawyers, family and medical care, and face independent courts. It calls on Zambia to uphold freedom of expression, press, media, peaceful assembly and association, and to stop abuses of national security laws. It encourages all stakeholders to exercise restraint, reject violence and intimidation, and work for national reconciliation. It asks the EU and its member states to raise these violations at the highest political level, monitor the human rights situation and judicial proceedings, support Zambian civil society, human rights defenders and journalists, and follow up the EU Election Observation Mission's recommendations.

Key points

  1. Parliament condemns the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya and the increase in political repression since the elections.
  2. It urges Zambian authorities to ensure independent and transparent investigations into all allegations of unlawful use of force, arbitrary arrest and intimidation, particularly the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya, and to hold those responsible accountable.
  3. It underlines that security operations should be proportionate and in accordance with the rule of law.
  4. It calls on Zambian authorities to end and refrain from arbitrary arrest, detention and intimidation of opposition members and supporters.
  5. It calls for detainees to be informed of the grounds for their arrest and charges and to have access to legal counsel, family and medical care.
  6. It calls for detainees to be brought before independent and impartial courts without delay and to have their right to a fair trial guaranteed.
  7. It calls on Zambian authorities to uphold freedom of expression, press, media, peaceful assembly and association, and to refrain from abuses of national security laws and criminal justice.
  8. It encourages all stakeholders to exercise restraint, reject violence and intimidation, and contribute to national reconciliation.
  9. It recalls the close EU-Zambia partnership and calls for the EU and its member states to raise these violations at the highest political level.
  10. It calls for close monitoring of the human rights situation and judicial proceedings and support for Zambian civil society organisations, human rights defenders and journalists.
  11. It calls for follow-up on the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission in Zambia.

Who is affected

  • Zambian authorities, who are urged to investigate abuses, end arbitrary detention and uphold rights.
  • Opposition members and supporters in Zambia, who face arrest, detention and intimidation.
  • Detainees, including Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, charged with treason and facing 20 years to life imprisonment if convicted.
  • Zambian civil society organisations, human rights defenders and journalists, whom the EU is asked to support.
  • The EU and its member states, asked to raise violations, monitor the situation and follow up election observation recommendations.

Figures and deadlines

  • 13 August 2026: date Zambia held elections.
  • 14 August 2026: date state security forces raided a property in Lusaka and fatally shot Mutotwe Kafwaya.
  • 16 others: number charged with treason alongside Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu.
  • 20 years to life imprisonment: sentence faced by suspects charged with treason if convicted.
  • At least 84 people: number detained without formal charges according to the Zambian Human Rights Commission.
  • Seven opposition figures and government critics: number whose passports have been revoked.
  • Five broadcasting stations: number facing compliance hearings at the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

Read the text · Report a problem

Text

The text as parsed from the official Word file. Every paragraph has a link (¶) and can be saved to a project as a passage.

European Parliament resolution of 17 September 2026 on the post-electoral repression in Zambia and the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya (2026/2876(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on Zambia, including of 18 May 2017 on the case of Hakainde Hichelema,

–having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas Zambia held elections on 13 August 2026;

B.whereas on 14 August 2026, state security forces raided a property in Lusaka linked to opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, arrested several opposition members, and fatally shot opposition member and former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya;

C.whereas on the last day for filing election petitions, the Zambian authorities closed court premises, thereby restricting access to justice;

D.whereas Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu were detained and, with 16 others, charged with treason; whereas their lawyers claim difficulties in meeting these defendants in prison; whereas suspects charged with treason cannot be released on bail and, if convicted, face 20 years to life imprisonment;

E.whereas before and after the elections, the authorities arrested, detained and intimidated opposition members and supporters; whereas, according to the Zambian Human Rights Commission, at least 84 people were detained without formal charges; whereas the passports of seven opposition figures and government critics have been revoked;

F.whereas the situation of media freedom has deteriorated; whereas five broadcasting stations face compliance hearings at the Independent Broadcasting Authority;

G.whereas the EU has deepened its partnership with Zambia through Global Gateway and the Critical Raw Materials Partnership and has provided substantial development assistance;

1.Condemns the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya and the increase in political repression since the elections;

2.Urges the Zambian authorities to ensure independent and transparent investigations into all allegations of unlawful use of force, arbitrary arrest and intimidation, and, particularly, into the circumstances of the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya, holding those responsible accountable; underlines that security operations should be proportionate and in accordance with the rule of law;

3.Calls on the Zambian authorities to end and refrain from arbitrary arrest, detention and intimidation of opposition members and supporters, ensure that detainees are informed of the grounds for their arrest and charges and have access to legal counsel, family and medical care, bring them before independent and impartial courts without delay, and guarantee their right to a fair trial;

4.Calls on the Zambian authorities to uphold freedom of expression, press, media, peaceful assembly and association, and refrain from abuses of national security laws and criminal justice;

5.Encourages all stakeholders to exercise restraint, reject violence and intimidation, and contribute to national reconciliation;

6.Recalls the close EU-Zambia partnership; calls for the EU and its Member States to raise these violations at the highest political level, to closely monitor the human rights situation and judicial proceedings, to support Zambian civil society organisations, human rights defenders and journalists, and to follow up on the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission in Zambia;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the African Union, the UN, and the Government and Parliament of Zambia.

Connections

The dossier, the decisions on this text and its other versions.

No connections found for this item.

Sources & citation

Where the facts on this page come from, and how to cite it.

Permalink
https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/TA-10-2026-0311
Official source
Data source
Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Retrieved
25 September 2026

Cite as

European Parliament (2026). “Post-electoral repression in Zambia and the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya”. Text, 17 September 2026. docId TA-10-2026-0311, reference TA10-0311/2026. EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/TA-10-2026-0311 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Official source: The text on the European Parliament’s website, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2026-0311_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: document record, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/documents/TA-10-2026-0311 (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX 
@misc{epw-text-ta-10-2026-0311,
  author = {{European Parliament}},
  title = {{Post-electoral repression in Zambia and the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya}},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-17},
  howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/TA-10-2026-0311}},
  url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/texts/TA-10-2026-0311},
  urldate = {2026-09-25},
  publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
  note = {Text. docId TA-10-2026-0311, reference TA10-0311/2026. Official source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2026-0311\_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: document record (CC BY 4.0)}
}