Opinion: A Turning Point for Human Rights in Zambia
The author is Minister of Justice, Princess Kasune.
Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of expression and opinion, visited the President at State House yesterday.
Her visit marks a turning point for our nation.
The Rapporteur confirmed that Zambia's human rights landscape has significantly improved under the New Dawn administration. And that since the departure of those tired old forces, Zambia has made big strides in protecting the fundamental freedoms of all citizens. But we have further to go, and we need to move at speed.
Khan, is the first UN Special Rapporteur to visit Zambia in eight years, and we are very glad to have welcomed her to our country, where she has engaged with a multitude of people from Lusaka to Livingstone, and Kitwe to Ndola. She met with government officials, civil society groups, and former ruling party members
That’s because this government is happy to open itself to scrutiny from all. Transparency and accountability are at the heart of our national mission. The President’s determination to safeguard your rights as citizens is unbending.
The Rapporteur had a specific message for us politicians. That we have a special responsibility to inform the public. This government is committed to informing citizens and I urge all of us in the political sphere to heed this important message, particularly when it comes to online channels.
No one needs reminding about the difficult situation under the old forces. And, so I won’t repeat them here, except to note the Rapporteur’s comment that we have transitioned away from a decade of great human rights abuses.
Under the President's leadership we have implemented significant reforms. We repealed the oppressive Defamation Act, abolished the death penalty, and have begun a thorough review of the Public Order Act. We have taken important steps to protect and expand media freedom, including the launch of a new ZANIS TV station, creating an additional platform that enables a wider range of voices to be heard.
We enacted the access to information law - 20 years after it was first introduced in Parliament. A historic achievement that grants you, the citizen, direct access to government information. We know that democracy works at its best when accountability is in place. Accountability is also a driver of national development.
We recognise that the Rapporteur wants us to go further, faster. We agree. Our journey of legal reform will continue, and while there will be challenges along the way, as a government determined to follow the path of reform, we will continue to legislate and embrace best practices.
We are all on this journey together. Moving forward to build a brighter, more prosperous future. Human rights are an essential component of that. So lets use this moment to recognise the progress made and the turning of a page away from the mistakes made in the past. But also to reaffirm our commitment to go further, because the job isn’t finished.