HRDC, Church and Society heightens pressure on Mutharika to stop attacking judges

Church and Society Program of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia  and firebrand Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) have, separately, faulted President Peter Mutharika for his continued attacks on the judiciary, particularly  targeting the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal for upholding the nullification of the May 21 2019 presidential election.

HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence, in a Tuesday media briefing in Lilongwe, called on the President to stop attacking the judiciary because the move is an attack on the country’s democracy.

Speaking during the Talk to the President Programme on State-run Malawi Broadcasting Station last Friday and during whistle-stop rallies in Thyolo on Monday, Mutharika—a professor of international law— maintained that the judgements of the five judges of the High Court sitting as the Constitutional Court and the seven appeal judges who upheld the same were a travesty of justice and ridiculous.

“He [Mutharika] should know that court decisions should be respected and the president is not above the law as such he should stop attacking our judges.

“He should know that it is the same court that protected him in 2014. He should not blame the judges for losing the case rather he should blame himself and MEC,” said Trapence.

Church and Society Program of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia executive director Moses Mkandawire  in a separate media briefing in Mzuzu on  Tuesday also expressed concern over Mutharika’s continued sentiments against the Judiciary.

Malawi Law Society (MLS)  in a statement issued on Monday co-signed by its president Burton Mhango and honorary secretary Martha Kaukonde  asked the President to lead by example in preserving and upholding the rule of law and promoting the respect, independence and integrity of the Judiciary as a separate constitutional arm of government with a constitutional responsibility.

Since the election was nullified on February 3, officials from the DPP have been attacking the judicial system.

The governing party earlier organised demonstrations against the Constitutional Court after it nullified Mutharika’s contested victory in the presidential election.