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Germany’s ambassador to Zambia Anne Wagner-Mitchell says the democratic and human rights situation in Zambia has moved a long way forward” since the election of President Hakainde Hichilema
Germany’s ambassador to Zambia Anne Wagner-Mitchell says the democratic and human rights situation in Zambia has moved a long way forward” since the election of President Hakainde Hichilema.
She was responding to historian Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa. The South Africa-based academic had earlier criticized Swedish ambassador to Zambia Johan Hallenborg’s remarks published in News Diggers that the UPND government has enhanced human rights and improved the civic space during their two years in office.
Dr Sishuwa argued that what the Swedish envoy said is contradicted by reality. It was at this point that the German ambassador joined the discussion and tried to do a bit of push-backing on behalf of her criticized colleague.
Germany’s Ambassador Wagner-Mitchell said that freedom of assembly is a crucial civil liberty that needs to be protected and enabled. Human rights in Zambia need constant vigilance. However, having been here since 2020 and interacted with many civil society actors, she said that she shared the view that things have moved a long way forward. However, the South African academic insisted that the German envoy should give ground-level examples to support her version.
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In fact, the academician pointed out that there were many rights violations that have occurred in Zambia since the election of Hichilema in 2021. He underscored that Zambians wanted a better Zambia, a truly functioning democracy, one which is built on the same standard of respect for democratic values and fundamental human rights as the one that exists in the West and other established democracies. According to him, democracies in Africa have to attain higher standards and the West should assess them in the same yardstick as they did in the case of their own governance architecture. He said that African countries, particularly Zambia have to move in the value chain in ingraining more values and direction, and respect for human dignity
