Mtambo locked up after handing himself: Malawi police violently disperse protesters

March 10, 2020 Wongani Chiuta - Nyasa Times 57 Comments

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Timothy Mtambo has been locked up in Area 3 police cell after he  handed himself to the law enforcers  at around noon following two days “on the run.”

Protestors take part in a march demanding release of human rights activist

Lawyer Khumbo Soko representing HRDC clarified that a bail has not yet been granted to Mtambo but that the High Court in a pre-trial hearing has given a stay order that the case should be tried in Lilongwe.

Following the court order, Soko said Mtambo should not  be transferred to Blantyre or any city other than Lilongwe .

Another lawyer Khwima Mchizi said Mtambo might spend the night in the cell  and  that they will wait until the charges are  leveled against him.

High Court has also ordered that the Malawi police “immediately return” HRDC leaders  Gift Trapence and  Macdonald Sembereka to Lilongwe, where they were originally arrested on Sunday , and that their case be dealt with by the Lilongwe court.

Before Mtambo surrendered himself to police, there were running battles between cops and sympathisers and police had to use teargas to disperse the crowd.

Witnesses reported chaotic scenes.

After cooling down from teargas, Mtambo addressed members of the press where he said they were fighting for justice and insisted that they will go to State House on March 25 2020 to pressure President Peter Mutharika to sign election reforms bills passed by parliament.

The arrests comes after Mutharika denounced the planned protest at a Blantyre political rally and ordered police and Malawi Defence Force to stop the group.

“Nobody in this country is above the law.  Mtambo cannot be bigger than the government.  [Gift] Trapence, [MacDonald] Sembereka, [Billy] Mayaya you are not bigger than the government.  Get my word, your time is up, the party is over, go and smell the coffee,” said Mutharika.

Opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera in a statement Monday gave the government 48 hours to release the rights activists.  He said if they remained in custody by Wednesday he would hold his own march to state house.

Amnesty International criticised “an escalating crackdown against human rights defenders, activists, civil society leaders”.

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57 replies on “Mtambo locked up after handing himself: Malawi police violently disperse protesters”

  1. A muthalika atopa awa vuto muthu wakula koma kukakamila udindo basi muthu osabeleka amwene kuvuta kodi Ali ndimwana ameneyi akupanga zopusa iyaaa

  2. Bravo our courts! mukumatinvetsa sugar akuma khothi inu, amapititsa dala ma activists wa ku BT kuti akawazunze awaphe, khothi nkudzango tembenuza chikwangwani pamene paja, LLz landilire ana olimba mtima anthaka ya Malawi awa, DPP mwachepaaaaaaaa!

  3. Agogo vomerezani, Mtambo is more popular than you and the bottom line is apapa mwanayu mwamulephera, he is a giant, and you remain a small puppet, no matter what, change is inevitable, Babylon is about to fall, we won’t relent till Malawi is completely free from the jaws of the evil Gogo Mutharika and his filthy thugs………….. watch this space!

    1. Maloto a chumba. Zosatheka zimenezo. Mtambo Wamutchalenjatu APM ali mmanja mwa apolisi akuti mademo okatseka state house alipobe. kkkkkkkkkk nyekhwe bwa!

    1. Jane Ansah and mec must fall indeed and peturo should sign up for the reforms bills made in parliament including 50+1

  9. Munthalika should fire MEC commissioners and sign the new reform bill into laws.Peter at 79 still playing games with the youths of Malawi.Munthalika you won’t win this.The majority of the youths are tired with you. Resign please if you can.

  11. Iwe Mtambo watikwana. Ungofera ku police cell ndi anzakowo Ife tatopa Nanu. Mabusiness athu mu Lilongwe akugwa kamba ka inu anthu ocokera Ku Burundi. Tsono umabisala umaopa chiyani? Ndimeayesa Imati polisi ilibe ntchito? Wabisalabisala wanna kuti sizikuthadiza wekha wavumbuluka ku Embassy umabisalako. Lero ugona mu cell yonunkha komwe uzimva fungo la mikozo. Zake izo

      1. Ndathokoza kuti anyapapi enanu you are able to see now kuti Pitala ndi opusadi, eyadi ndi opusa pitala ndipo amalawi ambiri izi anaziona kale, mwanva inu a Wa Nyau?

        1. stupid Tumbukas ,only used by politicians then dumped as a toilet paper.Muzakhala otsalila mpaka kale.
          nkhondo mukumenya lero yo odyerera ndi aku Central region.inu mpaka ambuye azabwera mukungovina mu msewu.
          simukuidziwa MCP kkkkkk

      2. Hiiiiiiih kuputa Malawi a Moto aphe ndani? Kodi mwaiwala Kuti bingu anawatsatila aja aku Mzuzu omenyera ufulu ? Wakufa lero safa mawa

        1. Tumbukas are stupid,always used by politicians then dumped as used Condoms.
          anafa ku Mzuzu aja akazi awo anakwatiwa ndi wina akuwachinda,ana awo akusowa thandizo.Phindu lilipati?

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  15. Chimene ndinganene, a Malawi tasinthani ndikudziwa za malamulo. The laws are clear in the case of state house sealing. Why dont we study our laws first before we act. I thought some of us are educated. It really sad.

    2. A Steve Phiri, the State House you are talking about and or the Law about that House are working for only those of the Party, are you a ware that the DPP party had their marching up to the same House you are talking which has malamulo? State House is not personal house for that matter, it is the house where the leader can be found easily in the entire World! Meaning the house is not a fuckin hiding place of the President, useless and baseless argument, grow up!

    1. Without trial? It’s this backward thinking that keeps the elite in power and the poor underfoot.

        1. Wagwa nayo apopo nde mwamupopa heavy loaded akumvetsani kuwawa. Mwamudilitsa heavy. Nkuona amakutchalenjani ndi Pitalayo kuti mademo alikobe pa 25 okatseka state house. Nyekhwe bwa!

  19. The End is near…
    No wonder MALAWI is one of the poorest Nations on earth

    The list of EVILS in this country is long

  22. Take him to Mikuyu prison which was reopened by Bingu in 2005. You also need to reopen Dzaleka prison which was erroneously converted to refugee camp. The two prisons were specially built and had torture chambers of which mtambo might find enjoyable.

    1. The court order said Mtambo should not be taken elsewhere outside the city of Lilongwe and his co accused should be brought back to Lilongwe from Blantyre, kaya ndiye za Mikuyu zikuchokera kuti. Amangwetu!

    3. Zex, you clearly want to live in a repressive dictatorship where they torture people without trial. Most Malawians want freedom and democracy. I suggest you find a country more suited to your bizzare desires.

      1. akutuma eti, Zekisi Zex. think and think of a better Malawi that will come after dpp is out of government

    5. Thats the only word a friend to poverty can say,nothing else.Zex some one is fighting for your own good but you hate him ,eish poor Malawian you love sitting on a log than a soft sofa with your family.

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