By Own Correspondent| An international human rights watchdog has raised concern over the continued crushing of dissent in Zambia by Edgar Lungu’s administration.

In a statement, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena accused the Zambia authorities of using intimidation and harassment against human rights defenders to harvest fear

“Authorities are using intimidation and harassment against human rights defenders, activists and political opponents as a strategy to instill fear across Zambian society,” he said

The Amnesty International top official statement comes in the wake of the arrest of two activists, Laura Miti and Bornwell Mwewa who are facing politically motivated charges of “assault on a police officer” and “disorderly conduct”.

 They were arrested on 21 December last year after they travelled to the city of Livingstone in support of Pilato, aka Fumba Chama, after he was arrested for “unlawful assembly” for addressing a youth gathering.

According to Muchena, the charges against the two activists smacks of suppression and should be dropped.

“The charges against Laura and Bornwell fit into a much wider pattern of suppression of peaceful dissent that we have seen in Zambia in recent years.

“All charges against Laura and Bornwell must be immediately dropped ,” added Muchena.

The human rights watchdog says human rights activists have been increasingly targeted in Zambia recently for demanding accountability and challenging corruption. 

Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena implored the Zambian government not to abuse the criminal justice system to crush dissent.

“The criminal justice system should not be used to silence dissent and settle scores against political opponents. The authorities must end this growing repression and ensure full respect for the human rights of everyone.

“Instead of continuously unleashing the state security machinery against activists and political opponents, Zambian authorities should be building a society where everyone can freely express themselves without fear of reprisals,” said Deprose Muchena.

Recently, a 15-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly defaming President Edgar Lungu in Facebook posts and this has led to a lot of criticism that the ruling party is cracking down on dissent and seeking to consolidate power ahead of next year’s elections.