Zambia: Human Rights Watch documents 14 enforced disappearances and 71 arrests after presidential election

Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on November 1, 2026, accusing Zambian police and military forces of forcibly disappearing, arbitrarily detaining, beating, and threatening opposition members and supporters, as well as lawyers, journalists, and government critics, in the days preceding and following the August 2026 general elections.

The documented figures

The organization states it documented 14 cases of apparent enforced disappearances in August, 61 cases of mistreatment during arrest or in detention, and 71 arrests it considers possibly politically motivated or followed by prolonged detention without charge. Eighteen people were charged with high treason, including two who were also charged with sedition.

The opposition targeted

President Hakainde Hichilema was re-elected in the August 13, 2026 vote, a poll that observers considered marred by irregularities, including a suspension of the vote count, the report notes. The home of opposition leader Brian Mundubile, of the Tonse alliance, was raided on August 14, 2026. He was arrested on August 27 and charged with high treason and seditious practices along with his running mate Makebi Zulu: the indictment, which HRW says it reviewed, accuses them of stating live on Facebook on August 14 that the opposition had won. Both men are presumed innocent.

Two accounts of Mutotwe Kafwaya's death

Opposition members claim that security forces killed former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya during the August 14 raid. Inspector General of Police Graphel Musamba stated that a joint intelligence operation came under fire from unidentified individuals and that Kafwaya was killed during the operation. Police initially denied any raid before Musamba acknowledged it, according to HRW, which is calling for an independent investigation.

The authorities' response

The Ministry of Information had described accounts of the raid as misinformation intended to cause public alarm. Responding in early September to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the rapporteur's appeal inaccurate, stating that opposition party membership does not shield anyone from the law.

A seat on the Human Rights Council

Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at HRW, urges the Zambian government to "break this dangerous cycle of repression," release arbitrarily detained individuals, and guarantee detainees access to legal counsel and medical care. The NGO notes that Zambia will serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2027 to 2029.