Sembereka arrested after Mutharika’s warning of HRDC crackdown

Malawi police has arrested Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) member Reverend Macdonald Sembereka in Lilongwe barely hours after President Peter Mutharika warned at a political rally in Blantyre that he will deal with the grouping which has announced to stage protests at State House.

Sembereka is HRDC Central Region chairperson.

He confirmed in a Facebook post that  he has been picked by the police because there is a warrant of arrest for HRDC.

At the rally in Blantyre  President Mutharika challenged HRDC members not to dare come close to the State House on May 25, 2020.

He said the police will deal with them if they dare.

Mutharika said HRDC chairperson Timothy Mtambo and other members Gift Trapence, Sembereka and Billy Mayaya are not bigger than government.

“Be warned, your time is up, the party is over, get up and smell the coffee,” Mutharika charged.