RELEASE XAVIER CHUNGU: His Continued Imprisonment Is A Stain on Zambia’s Democracy
Thirty-seven days on.
That is how long Liberal Democrats Party (LDP) leader Xavier Chungu has remained behind bars.
Thirty-seven days without campaigning.
Thirty-seven days denied the opportunity to freely participate in an election in which he is a presidential candidate.
This is not how democracies behave.
Xavier Chungu is not an ordinary citizen. He is the leader of a registered opposition political party exercising his constitutional right to seek the presidency.
Before entering politics, he dedicated more than three decades to serving Zambia’s security establishment, including 10 years as Director General of the Zambia Intelligence and Security Services. You need not agrees with his politics, but his record of public service is beyond dispute.
Yet on May 28, 2026, he was arrested following an interview he gave on the That Zed Podcast four days earlier and has remained incarcerated ever since.
I have listened to the interview.
Frankly, I struggle to understand how its contents justify keeping a presidential candidate in prison for over a month.
According to court records, Chungu faces four counts relating to the provision of certain information, seditious practices and the disclosure of information to unauthorized persons arising from that interview.
But does the interview justify prolonged incarceration? It doesn’t.
The continued detention of Mr. Chungu is not simply about one individual. It is about whether Zambia still provides equal political space for every citizen to contest for public office.
President Hakainde Hichilema is traversing the country freely, addressing rallies and asking citizens for another five years in office. He has done it for five years while he denied others similar privileges and rights.
Today, one of his opponents sits behind bars.
That is not a level political playing field.
Before assuming office, President Hichilema promised to expand democratic space. He assured Zambians that arbitrary detentions would become a thing of the past and that suspects would not spend days in police cells without justification.
Today, those promises ring hollow.
The democratic environment has become increasingly hostile to opposition politicians, activists and critics. Zambia’s democratic credentials have suffered, not strengthened.
Mr. Chungu’s case is only the latest example.
His interview was measured and cautious. As a former intelligence chief, he chose his words carefully.
Surely, anyone seeking the presidency is entitled to discuss his professional background, including the office he occupied more than two decades ago.
Why then keep him behind bars?
More importantly, why deny him the opportunity to campaign?
Unfortunately, Mr. Chungu is not alone.
Kasonde Mwenda was arrested and detained for more than five days on flimsy allegations, effectively preventing him from filing his presidential nomination despite paying the K100,000 nomination fee.
Dr. Fred M’membe and his running mate, Dolika Banda, were dragged into court proceedings that consumed valuable campaign time. Dolika Banda—a distinguished professional whose résumé includes the IMF and the World Bank—was subjected to arguments questioning her academic qualifications. The case was initiated by a UPND stooge masquerading as civil society – Isaac Mwanza.
PeP presidential candidate Chanda Katotobwe also found his presidential bid frustrated after the Registrar of Societies allegedly altered party records, preventing his ticket with Sean Tembo from filing nominations.
Viewed individually, these incidents may be dismissed as isolated cases.
Viewed collectively, they paint a terrible picture.
Democracy cannot flourish where competitors are systematically distracted, delayed or detained.
That is why Xavier Chungu must be released immediately.
Justice delayed becomes justice denied.
No election can truly be described as free and fair when one presidential candidate campaigns from public rallies while another campaigns from a prison cell.
The question Zambians must ask themselves is simple:
If these are the democratic standards after five years in office, what should the country expect from another five?
Protecting democracy does not require billions of kwacha.
It requires political will.
It requires respect for the Constitution.
It requires tolerance for dissent.
Above all, it requires leaders who understand that democracy is measured not by how government supporters are treated, but by how government opponents are treated.
On that score, Zambia is moving in the wrong direction.
And the continued imprisonment of Xavier Chungu has become one of the clearest symbols of that decline.
Release Xavier Chungu without further delay.