HE URINATED IN MY MOUTH AND WANTED TO BURN ME ALIVE BUT THEY NEVER SAID ANYTHING – JOURNALIST CRITICIZES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL OVER JAY JAY BANDA CASE
Journalist Peter Sukwa has expressed disappointment with Amnesty International for condemning the recent arrest of former Petauke Central Member of Parliament Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, saying the organisation ignored his appeals for help following alleged torture in 2015.
Mr Sukwa said Mr Banda’s apprehension presented an opportunity for him to finally obtain justice over the attack in Vubwi District, where the former Patriotic Front (PF) Petauke District chairperson allegedly assaulted him, urinated in his mouth, and attempted to burn him alive.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Sukwa said he had previously written to several local and international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, seeking assistance to review the judgment in which Mr Banda was fined following his conviction for assault.
He said the attack left him with permanent physical impairment and emotional trauma, and expressed disappointment that the international organisation had not responded to his request.
“His arrest is long overdue. I have been advocating for a review of this case for a long time. Let justice take its course,” Mr Sukwa said
He maintained that the matter had been mishandled by the Vubwi Magistrate Court, resulting in what he described as a miscarriage of justice.
“In 2015, Mr Banda assaulted me, urinated in my mouth, and attempted to burn me alive with a 2.5-litre container of petrol in Vubwi District. Shockingly, my assailant walked away with only a fine,” Mr Sukwa recalled.
He described the experience as deeply humiliating, saying the torture would remain with him for the rest of his life.
“The humiliation and torture meted out to me through this inhumane and unbiblical action by the former PF Petauke District chairperson will live with me until I die. It is the highest level of indignity that a fellow human being can expose another person to,” he said.
Mr Sukwa said he hoped the judicial process would now address the additional charges of attempted murder and aggravated robbery arising from the 2015 incident.
On June 21, 2024, police charged and arrested Mr Banda on the two counts before he was committed to the High Court following a certificate issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr Banda was detained at Namuseche Correctional Facility while awaiting trial but was later admitted to Chipata Central Hospital for a gastrointestinal condition.
He subsequently escaped through a third-floor window of the hospital’s premium ward, prompting police to offer a K2 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Credit: Zambia Daily Mail