24 CSOs: Not Civic Activism But Political Mischief.
The statement by a coalition of 24 local and regional Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) condemning the apprehension of fugitive Emmanuel Jay Jay Banda is unfortunate, misleading, and reeks of double standards.
A coalition of individuals and briefcase local and regional organisations says they are deeply concerned about the circumstances under which Jay Jay Banda was apprehended in Mozambique and brought to face the law in Zambia. 
Under the guise of protecting human rights, 24 individuals appended their signatures in defence of a fugitive who escaped from lawful custody.
This approach is not just a disappointment, but it is a disservice to true victims of human rights abuse.
The coalition wants the world to think Jay Jay Banda is a target of the State but failing to explain how Jay Jay Banda escaped from lawful custody.
To the coalition, the charges brought against Jay Jay Banda are untrue. The intention is clear. Poke holes into the image of government by all means. The political mischief is bare even for the ordinary person to see.
The victims of Jay Jay Banda’s atrocities are there and still waiting for the wheel of justice to grind.
The allegations by the coalition, including Amnesty International, are made with no basis.
Cross-border cooperation between countries against fugitives is not lawlessness. It is how the region is supposed to work to protect its innocent citizens.
Other human rights and political commentators strongly reject CSOs’ claim that the rule of law was not respected in the apprehension of a wanted fugitive who escaped from lawful custody and has been on the run for months.
Emmanuel Jay Banda was never a political asylum seeker in Mozambique or anywhere else. He was a fugitive who ran away from justice. He was wanted for the serious crimes he committed, including aggravated robbery, attempted murder and escape from lawful custody.
The attempt by the CSOs to sanitise a fugitive by calling him an opposition politician or target of the State is dishonest. This is aimed at misleading the public and the international community.
Criminal matters cannot be politicised. Jay Jay Banda was on a wanted list for escaping from lawful custody.
The call by the CSOs on the Zambian and Mozambican governments to explain the circumstances under which Jay Jay Banda was apprehended is misplaced and hypocritical.
When a fugitive is on a wanted list, security agencies have a duty to cooperate within regional security frameworks to ensure justice is served.
The same CSOs never called for an explanation when Jay Jay Banda escaped from lawful custody in a manner that he mocked the entire justice system.
The claim that the rule of law was not respected is baseless. The rule of law demands that those who break the law must face justice.
What disrespects the rule of law is harbouring a fugitive, defending a fugitive, and attempting to shield a fugitive from facing the law.
The government should not be lectured on the rule of law by organisations that are silent when the justice system is undermined by escapees, only to suddenly become vocal when law enforcement agencies pounce on law breakers.
The 24 CSOs and individuals should not apply double standards. Where were they when victims of aggravated robbery were seeking justice?
Such selective activism undermine credibility and exposes their partisan actions, which only serve selfish interests other than human rights and good governance.
Instead of rushing to defend a known fugitive and attacking law enforcement institutions that are simply doing their job, the CSOs should allow the law to take its full course.
