Zambian Government a Recorded Human Rights Abuser, Seeks to Sit on the Human Rights Council
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba Wrote;
Last evening I sat in a high-level meeting with international lawyers and human rights defenders.
The lawyers expressed concern among many issues, that countries that were at the fore front of abusing and violating human rights such as Zambia were actively seeking to be elected to sit on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“This is similar to what China did” a senior lawyer stated.
The controversy surrounding China sitting on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) centers on the sharp contradiction between its domestic human rights record and the council’s core mission.
Critics argue that allowing a nation accused of severe human rights violations like Zambia to hold a seat undermines the legitimacy of the UN’s premier human rights body.
This is a clever to escape scrutiny and attempt to influence and disuade the truth policies and opinions from inside.
Zambia’s last election has really exposed President Hakainde Hichilema and the observer missions such as the European Union, African Union, SADC and others condemned the credibility of that election.
In the last election, the abuse of the army to storm totalling centres, the stopping of vote count when the Opponent was leading, the closure of courts of law to prevent a presidential electoral challenge and a military raid on leading presidential candidate Brian Mundubile which resulted in the killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya, and the continued crackdown and arbitrary arrests, are issues that have isolated Hichilema from the good graces of the progressive international community.
Zambia is among candidates on the way to sit on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a body which has led the expose of human rights abuses in the country.
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up of 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.
The Council was created by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.
The geographic distribution of members who sit on the council is rotational and are elected every two years.
Zambia’s ealrier attempt to be elected was hastily withdrawn in October 2025 after the Human Rights Council exposed the excessive human abuses taking place under the regime of President Hakainde Hichilema especially in the areas of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, right to gather, assemble and assemble and express civic and political rights.
The HRC even sent a Special Rapporteur whose report eventually confirmed the damning excesses and was adopted as such.
as follows:
(a) Five from African States;
(b) Five from Asia-Pacific States;
(c) Two from Eastern European States;
(d) Three from Latin American and Caribbean States;
(e) Three from Western European and other States.
The elections are in October 2026 and so far only 3 countries have submitted the bids. If nothing happens, Zambia will be elected by default.