Chakwera, Nankhumwa demand that Namiwa's "abduction" be investigated as soon as possible

Malawi: President Lazarus Chakwera and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Dr. Kondwani Nankhumwa, have called for prompt investigations into the abductions of the CDEDI Executive Director, Mr. Sylvester Namiwa, who was abducted by unknown people along Mtunthama road on Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, just after holding a press conference in the City of Lilongwe for nation-wide demonstrations scheduled for July 28th, 2022.

According to a press release signed by Presidential Press Secretary Anthony Kasunda, the alleged abduction violates one of President Chakwera's SUPER Hi5 leadership principles, which is the rule of law.

"The president, therefore, condemns the lawless act and calls upon the Malawi Police Service and other laws enforcement agencies to speed up investigations into the matter until Mr. Namiwa's safety is restored, his captors are brought to justice, and Malawians are informed of the truth regarding his alleged abduction,” reads the statement, in part.

Dr. Nankhumwa expressed his disappointment in this barbaric behavior, stating that Malawi is a multiparty democracy that, among other things, upholds the values of free speech and conscience.

He went on to say that, while it is easy to see who is unhappy with Mr. Namiwa, he does not want to believe that our democracy has regressed to the point where the government is sending agents to abduct its critics.

"As the leader of the opposition in Parliament, I am calling on the police to quickly launch investigations to apprehend and prosecute the abductors. I am also closely monitoring the situation, and if anything bad happens to Mr. Namiwa, I will hold the government accountable,” he said.