Amnesty International has urged candidates in Zambia’s August 13 general election to commit to reversing a growing pattern of authoritarian practices threatening human rights before, during and after the polls.
A Sharp Warning Days Before the Vote
In a new briefing titled “Authoritarian Practices Eating Away at Human Rights in Zambia: Escalating crackdown on human rights ahead of the 2026 general elections,” Amnesty International documented what it describes as intensified restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly, association, expression and media freedom in the run-up to polling day. The organisation said authorities have used broadly vague and hurriedly passed laws to curtail public participation ahead of the election, pointing to a pattern of fast-tracked legislation that limits public input into law-making.
The briefing arrives just days before Zambians vote on August 13, adding an international human rights voice to an already tense final stretch of campaigning that has included several disputed incidents of police conduct at rallies in multiple constituencies.
Context for the Warning
Amnesty’s intervention follows a campaign period marked by repeated friction between opposition candidates and police, including disputed accounts of teargas use and campaign disruptions in constituencies such as Mazabuka Central, Kalingalinga and Mongu. The organisation is calling on all parties and candidates, not government alone, to publicly commit to protecting human rights standards through the election period and beyond, framing the request as a test of Zambia’s broader democratic trajectory rather than a partisan intervention.
Sources: Zambia Monitor
