Activists Mtambo, Trapence marked for arrest: Pacpwa make allegations against CSOs, UTM

Malawi police will crackdown on vocal human rights activists Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trapence who are marked for arrests in connection to the recordings about the killing of people with albinism which implicated President Peter Mutharika and his aide Hetherwick Ntaba.

Mutharika recently commented on the recordings saying there are people who willing to testify on how they were recorded.

The President said the recordings were part of a smear campaign.

So far police has arrested Mulanje South legislator Bon Kalindo in connection to the matter.

Kalindo’s lawyer Bright Theu said the UTM Party director of youth, who has been released unconditionally, was arrested on allegations of committing cyber stalking crime which involved repeatedly forwarding electronic messages that mentioned Ntaba as possessing human tissues.

Meanwhile, a splinter group of Persons with Albinism (PWAs) which recently met President Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace called Poor and Concerned People with Albinism (Pacpwa) has issued a statement made available to Nyasa Times which has made serious allegations dragging rights activist to the audio recordings.

“To put issues and things into perspective, Mr. Timothy Mtambo and Mr. Gift Trapence from Thursday 14th March 2018 to Sunday 17th March 2018 camped in the three districts of Zomba, Machinga and Balaka. The purpose of the visit was carrying out investigation on how to link the Government, especially President Mutharika to the issues of person’s with albinism.

“During the stated days, the two who are alleged to be supported by UTM Party, sponsored

Journalists from Times, Zodiak and Capital FM to record what would be incriminating evidence of the involvement of the President from people whom they paid resources to implicate the state,” a statement from Pacpwa  jointly released with Islamic Commission for Justice and Freedom (ICJF), reads in part.

The statement is co-signed by PACPWA Chairperson Francis Masambuka and Chief Commissioner for ICJF Shaibu Abdul Rahaman Ajassie.

It adds: “The recordings so far done included a woman identified as Mrs. Chileka a wife of a Police Officer remanded in Zomba Prison linked with the killings of William Masambuka in Machinga. The other voice are of those that claim to have a knowledge on the market which Unfortunately all the voices and persons failed to provide biased evidence against the government just as the same voice of one of the persons in Zomba Prison now moved to Domasi Prison, a Mr. Yohane.”

The statement claims that the two HRDC leaders were hoping that once they have established incriminating evidence it could be used against the government and bring down the current administration.

“Unfortunately, the confessions other voices are full of hearsay and sound to be coached in terms of what to say and this have been collaborated by the people whom the two engaged.

“We see the efforts of the HRDC as a ploy to create a false trail of evidence which would mislead the entire country and investigative bodies not to unveil the truth of the matter but deal with political issues.

“We are giving this background, in order to appreciate the motivation of the HRDC, which in our considered opinion is more of achieving political milestone than addressing the issues of persons with albinism.”

Pacpwa has also alleged that UTM Party of State Vice President Saulos Chilima sponsored the Association of People With Albinism (APAM) vigils held in Lilongwe early this month.

Apam has since distanced itself from the allegations while UTM says it could not immediately dignify the allegations with a comment.

Malawi is grappling with a resurgence of abductions and killings of PWAs, prompting Apam to raise deep security concerns and threatening that the entire PWAs population will migrate to other countries where they would be guaranteed of their safety.

About 25 PWAs have been killed while several others are still missing since the abductions and killings began in Malawi six years ago.

The attacks are fuelled by widespread unsubstantiated beliefs across the country that bones and body parts of people with albinism are used for charms that bring luck and wealth.

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