HRDC cancels 3-day demos following Supreme Court order

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has postponed the anti-Jane Ansah protests following the Supreme Court of Appeal on Tuesday  granted a 14-day moratorium against demonstrations in Malawi.

Lawyer Khumbo Soko representing HRDC said following the Supreme Court order it means that there can never be demonstration on Wednesday.

Said Soko: “The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land,  if it has said that there should be a moratorium on demonstrations, there cannot be demonstrations until that period elapses or is revised.”

Vice-chairperson for HRDC Gift Trapence said they respect the rule of the law and would not be in contempt of court .

HRDC has been leading nationwide demonstrations to force Ansah to resign for allegedly presiding over a flawed May 21 presidential election, which was marred by use of correction fluid Tippex to alter figures on result sheets.

The grouping wants Ansah to resign to pave the way for investigations into identifying and prosecuting those who supplied Tippex that was used to alter elections figures on result sheets.

The demonstrations have in some cases been marred by looting and violence.

Ansah, a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, has dismissed calls for her to resign, saying she would only step down if the court found her leadership to have failed to discharge its duties.