Xavier Chungu is an opposition political leader and was a presidential candidate until his withdrawal on 12 July. On 28 May, he was arrested following an interview he did in a podcast. He was subsequently charged with seven counts under the State Security Act, three counts of sedition, and one count under the Zambia Security Intelligence Services Act. On 10 July, he was denied bail after the Director of Public Prosecutions issued a ‘No Bail Certificate’ limiting meaningful judicial oversight and undermining the requirement that pretrial detention must have a legal justification and be necessary and proportionate.
Amnesty International calls on the Zambian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Xavier Chungu as the criminal charges against him are based solely on the peaceful exercise of his human rights, including his rights to freedom of expression.