Human Rights Commission- Zambia

𝐇𝐑𝐂-𝐙 𝐔𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦

The Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) has upgraded its Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) Case Management System to strengthen its capacity to promote and protect human rights through more efficient case management, monitoring, and reporting.

Read more via website: https://hrc.org.zm/hrc-z-upgrades-early-warning-and-early-response-system/

𝐇𝐑𝐂-𝐙 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐂𝐆𝐋𝐑 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

The Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) on Friday, 29th May 2026, hosted a delegation from the Levy Mwanawasa Regional Centre for Democracy and Good Governance (LMRC), a specialised think tank and autonomous technical organ of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), as part of a pre-electoral assessment mission ahead of the August 2026 General Election.

Read more via website: https://hrc.org.zm/hrc-z-hosts-icglr-delegation-for-pre-electoral-assessment/

𝐇𝐑𝐂-𝐙, 𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞

The Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) and the Legal Aid Board (LAB) have resolved to collaborate in developing referral mechanisms aimed at strengthening access to justice for vulnerable and marginalised members of the public.

Read more via website: https://hrc.org.zm/hrc-z-lab-strengthen-collaboration-on-access-to-justice/

𝐇𝐑𝐂-𝐙 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞

The Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) has conducted a compliance monitoring exercise targeting quarry and artisanal mining operations in Lusaka Province, following growing concerns over environmental pollution, land degradation, water pollution, poor working conditions, occupational safety and community welfare around the extractive sector.

Read more via website: https://hrc.org.zm/hrc-z-monitoring-quarry-mining-operations-in-lusaka-province/

𝐇𝐑𝐂-𝐙, 𝐌𝐂𝐃𝐒𝐒 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) have announced a strategic partnership to address the rights of vulnerable and marginalised groups in Zambia.

Read more via website: https://hrc.org.zm/hrc-z-mcdss-to-strengthen-collaboration/

🎊🎉𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐃𝐀𝐘 🎉🎊

The Human Rights Commission of Zambia joins the African continent in celebrating the African Freedom Day, also known as Africa Day, which falls annually on 25th May, the day the Organization of the African Unity, now the African Union, was established in 1963.

Africa Day celebrates the sacrifices the great men and women made in the struggle for political independence from colonialism and apartheid. It heralds the dawn of respect for human and people's rights without any form of discrimination.

The African Union declared 2026 as the year of
"𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟔𝟑".

The declaration is a reminder of the significance of the right to safe drinking water and sanitation towards the realization of other rights such as the right to health, life, education, environment and dignity.
It is also a reminder that civil and political rights and social, economic and cultural rights are indivisible and interdependent. Neither of them can be achieved and sustained without the other.

Africa Freedom Day is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements made during the past 63 years of Freedom, Unity and Solidarity in Africa and the remaining obligation to fully respect, protect and fulfill human and people's rights in the respective countries, including Zambia.

This year’s Africa Freedom Day is being commemorated under the theme:
“𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 (𝟔𝟑) 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫"

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐃𝐚𝐲: 𝐇𝐑𝐂-𝐙 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

As Africa celebrates Freedom Day on the 25th of May 2026, the Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) conducted structured visits to correctional facilities and other places of detention in Lusaka Province to enhance the observance of human rights standards.

Read more via website: https://hrc.org.zm/celebrating-africa-freedom-day-hrc-z-visits-correctional-and-detention-facilities/

𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒

The Human Rights Commission strongly condemns the harassment and physical attacks against some independent parliamentary candidates during the filing of nominations in selected districts. Whilst the Zambia Police Service has reportedly arrested some suspects, the Commission is calling for speedy prosecution of all those responsible.

The viral video showing former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Gary Nkombo, being harassed and physically attacked by visibly identifiable individuals as he sought to file his nomination as an independent candidate for Mazabuka Central Constituency is deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable. Political violence of this nature is not only criminal conduct, but also a direct violation of fundamental human rights, including the rights to personal security, dignity, equality before the law, freedom of association, and the right to participate in public affairs.

The Commission notes with grave concern that the incident in Mazabuka occurred within the nomination centre and in the presence of law enforcement officers as seen in the viral video. In the circumstances, the Commission is of the firm belief that there should be no difficulty in identifying, apprehending and prosecuting the well-known perpetrators.

Further, the Commission condemns all similar acts of violence and intimidation reported in Chavuma District in North-Western Province and Choma District in Southern Province, where independent candidates were reportedly obstructed in the course of lodging their nomination papers. Such reprehensible acts undermine the constitutional and democratic rights of all citizens to freely participate in governance, whether as candidates, supporters or voters. Elections must be a platform for the peaceful exercise of democratic choice, not a theatre of violence, intimidation and exclusion.

The Commission is particularly concerned that these acts of intra political party violence create a climate of fear that discourages participation by vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women, persons with disabilities, youths, and other individuals who may already be facing structural barriers to political participation. If violence and intimidation are allowed to take root in the electoral process, many capable citizens will be deterred from seeking public office or participating meaningfully in democratic processes out of fear for their safety and dignity. This will undermine efforts to promote inclusive participation and weaken the established democratic foundations in the Republic of Zambia.

Political competition must never be pursued through violence, coercion or threats. There is an urgent need for the United Party for National Development (UPND) leadership to send a clear and unequivocal message that political violence has no place in a democratic society, and that such lawlessness will attract firm and impartial legal consequences, regardless of the identity or political affiliation of the perpetrators.

The Commission therefore calls upon the Zambia Police Service and other relevant law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities to act swiftly, professionally and impartially to ensure accountability in all reported cases of political violence. Failure to do so risks fostering a culture of impunity that may embolden further violations as the country approaches the 13th August 2026 General Elections.

The Human Rights Commission will continue to closely monitor the conduct of all stakeholders, including institutions within the justice delivery sector, in order to promote a peaceful, inclusive and rights-respecting electoral environment necessary for the holding of free, fair and credible elections.

(𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝)
𝐃𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍
𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

HRC-Z sensitizes Twashuka Primary School learners on rights and responsibilities

On 13th May 2026, the Human Rights Commission of Zambia (HRC-Z) sensitized 354 learners at Twashuka Primary School in Lusaka on children's rights and responsibilities.

Education and Training Officer, Mrs. Precious Kalima reminded learners about the need to ensure that they exercise their rights with due regard to the responsibilities that come with those rights.

Mrs. Kalima emphasized that rights and responsibilities are inseparable, such that one cannot enjoy human rights without fulfilling their responsibilities. In a school environment, learners must abide by school rules as part of the responsibilities that go hand in hand with their right to education.

The learners were encouraged to report any human rights violations through the Commission’s toll-free line 8181.