High Court Judge Peter Chitengi, speaking at a two-day...

High Court Judge Peter Chitengi, speaking at a two-day seminar organised by the Human Rights Commission, said law enforcement officers in Zambia have a total disregard or "a deliberate and conscious conviction and a decision to ignore human rights."
Judge Chitengi observed that the police were notorious for violating freedom of movement of individuals and other abuses such as shooting to death a suspect who eludes them or holding spouses or parents to ransom for crimes committed by their children.
He said police or law enforcement officers, instead of shooting in the legs to disable a suspect who runs away from them, shoot in the head. Judge Chitengi said this amounts to extra judicial execution by the officers, whose duty is to apprehend and arrest suspects.
Police representatives did not participate in the human rights awareness workshop organised for law enforcement officers by the HRC, and attended by participants drawn from the Office of the President (OP), Intelligence, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Immigration and Prison Services.
Judge Lombe Chibesakunda said an invitation had been extended to police authorities."In a letter in reply to my invitation, however, they said in their training programme, they have sufficient information on human rights," Judge Chibesakunda told participants.