US demands information on ’Abiti Manice’ arrest: UK-UTM calls for her release
United States (US) embassy in Lilongwe has said they are demanding information in the arrest of social media activist and vocal supporter of the United Transformation Movement (UTM) Manice Hale, popularly known as Manice Abiti William Dawood on Facebook, who was arrested at Kamuzu International Airport Tuesday.
US public affairs director at the American Embassy, Douglous Johnston, said they learnt that Hale, an American citizen, had been arrested while she was about to catch a flight back to the US where she is based and they are demanding information on her detention.
He said American Embassy’s consular officer visited Hale following her arrest.
“We have asked Malawian authorities for information and we are waiting for them to provide further information about Mrs Hale’s arrest,” said Johnston.
Police have accused Hale, who has been attending some rallies by Vice President Saulos Chilima led United Transformation Movement, for insulting President Peter Mutharika.
Her lawyer Nicely Msowoya confirmed that she has been charged with insulting the President of the Republic, particulary through her Facebook posts.
The lawyer said Police read out several Facebook posts on her page when reading out charges to her.
The law of insulting the President has been subject of debate in recent days with legal experts saying its archaic and inconsistent with the democratic culture while rights activist say it is “draconian.”
Hale during an interview with Times TV last week claimed she is related to the Mutharika, saying her mother was a sister to the late first lady Ethel Nyoni Mutharika, who was the late president Bingu wa Mutharika’s first wife.
Meanwhile, in solidarity witth US-UTM counterparts and all members of UTM in Malawi and abroad, UTM-UK wing strongly condemns the arrest ‘Abiti Mnaice’.
In a statement issued by UTM-UK interim chairperson Kondi Bowoke Munthali and interim secretary Jubie Bagus, they are calling on Malawi government to release Abiti Manice Danwood immediately.
“UTM UK is appalled and disgusted that at a time when world leaders are advocating for no violence against women, Abiti Manice has been arrested for no apparent reason by the DPP government.
“It is especially appalling and particularly disgraceful to see violence at the airport perpetrated by a law enforcement officer against a female traveller whose only crime is that she does not support the DPP regime. UTM UK call this arrest deplorable and a set back to the freedom of choice and expression which is everyone’s fundamental right according to the constitution,” reads the statement made available to Nyasa Times.
Hale who was kept in an unknown location by police last night, is expected to appear in court Wednesday to be formally charged.
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Why these Aericans demand too much???? How many foreigners get locked each day in USA???? Too much noise these AMERICANS IN Africa!!!!
How many people are insulting the president? Is APM going to arrest them all? Watsala pang’ono kufa uyu. Ndatatu ndi ya Bingu ndi ana ake
Every country in the world even in America if you fond of insulting the president you should know that the law will follow you , so if there is a proof that manice insulted the president why not arresting her , and you nyasa times why always mumalemba nkhani mofuna kunyadzitsa DPP why? , let the police do there work proffetionaly not moonesa ngati alakwisa , you mean manice was doing good when insulting the President of our Nation? , mind you here in malawi we have a freedom of expretion not freedom of insulting President or any other people .
Kkkkkkkkk koma DPP, Uyu nde mwagwila wa moto mumulavula chifukwa ma sanctions sakudwetsatu uyu paja anati america first. Ask Turkey. Nde musationongele ndalamayi muzaisiye ilipomwe ilipa…akunenedwa trump nde kuli bwanji president wadziko losaukitsitsa pa dziko lapansi ngati lathuli? Asaaa! Zonjatanazi ikani patali bwana sizabwino, inuyo muzilemekeze kuti anthunso akulemekezeni,mukanyoza nde mukonzekele kunyozedwa!
Kenneth Bwanali & Gift, Do you mean it is ok for APM to be insulting other political leaders & a sin when it boomerangs? Stop this shit. APM must know that ‘Mfumu ndi kudzala’ and that ‘Mutu ukakula sulewa nkhonya.’ Othewise you are deliberately killing your APM as he is spending sleepless nights over trival things he can easily ignore and lose nothing. We all deserve respect not only this mtchona. Chisamakomere mbuzi kugunda galu ayi!
akatukwana president a ma bungwe chete koma vise versa Nde phokoso mxxxx
When APM and the mid night six were thrown in jail for the real crime he had committed he cried foul. And now he uses oppressive laws to jail people. You make me sick old man.
MIND YOU INSULT IS SUBJECTIVE NOT OBJECTIVE, SO CAN THE LAWS TELL US THE LIST OF INSULTS NOT TO SAY THE THE PRESIDENT SO THAT WNEN ARRESTED WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT TO ANSWER.
Manyenga nyenga a minister Bright awa….. walora kuti ex wake azunzike????
Patatsala ma week owelengeka Bingu asanamwalire, anayambapo zomamamga anthu on similar charges. Kwainu anzathu who are low on memory tikukumbutseni kumangidwa kwa Ralph Kasambara komanso Atupele Muluzi that acted as a precursor to his cardiac arrest.
Madame Gertrude Mutharika, chonde akokeni jacket amuna anuwo, akusiyani pa siwa akapitiriza zomwe ayambazo. Asawanamizidwe ndi achina Chimanga. They will run away to far away countries where they have been hiding stollen government money, abandoning the widow and your immediate family.
Ine ndadandauliratu zainu pano. I will never drop a tear for you at that time because this would have been prevented by preventing ulangizi wa uthapatula.
Let the law take its course. No one is above the law and that includes Abiti Manice
People are miss using democracy, Insulting the head of state is not democracy… Thus she must face the Law
SO IS IT PROPER FOR THE HEAD OF STATE TO BE TELLING PEOPLE NDIKUNYENYANINYENYANI?
IS IT PROPER FOR PETER MUTHARIKA TO SEND MCHACHA TO DRESS DOWN WOMEN LIKE KALIATI AT POLITICAL RALLIES?
John how shallow is your mind? Ndikunyenyanyenyani is a figure of speech, what is wrong with you people?
“Police read out several Facebook posts on her page when reading out charges to her”
What exactly did she say in the posts, and on what date? Can we still find her alleged insults on FB if we dig through the various entries?
UK-UTM ndiye kuti chani Atombolombo inu. Real Malawians r in Malawi experiencing blackouts. Pangani zanu zaku UK kwanuko ifenso tipange zathu zaku Malawi kwathu kuno. U want attention just bcz u r in UK??? Ndi inu Agalu mwamva!!!!!@
Join the discussion…
zapachibale izi A and B
Shame to our men in uniform being used by politicians who after five years go in riches leaving them in tatters still complaining ha ha ha kunali anzanu in those positions
That girl must not be released until sense is injected
What about the issue of passports from two different countries, each with a different name and making false declaration to an immigration official? No case?
That is not an issue you primitive man
You must be from the Stone-Age era Mr. Modern man where laws don’t exist and don’t matter. In fact, if she had only an American passport, I assure you that American Embassy could have been on Malawi Authorities’ neck and by she couldn’t even spend an hour in cell. The issue of having two two nationalities in Malawi is illegal Mr. Stone-Age. And providing false information to government officer is illegal too. Insulting the president, presidency or the country in general is illegal Mr. Stone-Age.
The law is there to be respected. Anybody who breaks the law must be punished. Let her prove that she has not broken the law, then she will be released.
This is the same law which MCP used during Kamuzu Banda period, what it means is that MCP was justified to arrest and detain all those who were perceived to have broken the law…
Its up to the state to prove “beyond reasonable doubt” that the accused committed a crime and not vice versa.
Mutharika wouldn’t understand the price we Malawians paid for our democracy because he was not there at all. It’s painful when someone who was never there with you when you were struggling to build a house wakes up one morning and start to demolish your house for which you paid dearly . Too sad for my country
Dont twist stories here, freedom goes with responsibility.
Bravo Khima, i couldn’t have said it better myself. short but brilliant, i like you buddy.
@ Pathfinder
There is a clear distinction between insults and statement of fact . Saying that mutharika is incompetent and mediocre is by no means an insult . It’s simply saying what it is . Well will not call a spade a big spoon because it’s not. We will call it what it is . Some of us not sycophants buddy.
But DPP supporters have the right to insult and beat people in in the presence of the police? What are you talking about. Why didn’t the police arrest Calista who called your president Mchona, which of course he is. Don’t be a zealot.
One can have a dual ciptizenship
Yes. But not in Malawi because our constitution doesn’t legalize that. We are a nation and have our own laws that govern us. If some sections and clauses in our constitution have become irrelevant, then we as a nation can agree to amend those areas. But we can’t ignore a section which is still hanging in our constitution just save and serve our political interest. Never. We are in 2018 and not in the Stone-Age Era when the rule of law was at its lowest point.
@ hard truth
This case will be thrown out of court just as many cases of that nature have been before . The lady will sue government and it’s going to be our tax that will be used to compensate her. You fools should get life for once. Mxiiiiiiiiii
Now I know you are a mental patient. You can’t argue without displaying out your stupidity. I will never waste my time again with a mentally-deficient person.
*………….constitution just because we want to save and serve our political interests…………………..
@ khima
You would not understand because you look at those concepts through blue eyes. If I tell someone that you are inept or you are incompetent I am not insulting that person . It’s a statement of fact . Telling peter that he is inept and incompetent is not insult and it shall never be. Take it or leave it. It’s a matter of fact. Write again
If we can have such kind of person like you in this country then our country will move forward.I salute with your point