Police release journalists, detain Sampa and company over anti-gay march
POLICE in Lusaka have detained medical doctor Brian Sampa and five others on charges of unlawful assembly after interrupting their anti-homosexuality march.
The five journalists who were also picked, along with Dr Sampa, have been released after close to four hours in detention.
Dr Sampa and two other men are detained at Kabwata Police Station while three other ladies were yet to be allocated a police station for detention by press time.
The country has, in the last few days, experienced an explosion of sodomy cases in which several men and young boys have been reported to have been sodomised against their will, sparking fear among the male folk.
Despite getting sustaining blisters from long walks of anti-alcohol campaign walk, Dr Brian Sampa mobilised a small group to walk against homosexuality in the country.
In what started off as a quiet procession at Lusaka civic centre, the march was halted near the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) traffic lights by scores of armed police officers.
After an exchange on the technicalities of police permits and informing the police on holding public gatherings, a female chief inspector ordered officers to bundle the whole group, including journalists, on police vehicles and ordered they be taken to Lusaka Central Police Station.
Dr Sampa told the officers that he fulfilled the provisions of the law by writing to inform them about the march although he got no response.
He produced a Lusaka City Council documentation and the notification but the police were not having any of it.
However, instead of going to Lusaka Central Police as earlier stated, the group was taken at Kabwata Police where they were held and told to submit their names.
Dr Sampa loudly wondered why police had stopped his anti-gay march when they did not block him while he staged a lone walk against alcohol to Eastern Province.
After close to four hours at Kabwata Police Station, Dr Sampa and two other male marchers were taken into detention while three ladies were to be detained elsewhere.
The journalists included Kalemba’s Moses Makwaya, Muvi TV’s Aphius Kaputula and Agnes Nampasa as well as Josephat Mafuta of KBN and Baxter Mutambo MEDIA 28.
The journalists were forced to give statements for possible use against Dr Sampa in court.
Kalemba September 16, 2022
