No State Of Emergency Yet But Proclamation Was Effected At 16hrs Yesterday , Police Have Been Given More Powers

No State Of Emergency Yet But Proclamation Was Effected At 16hrs Yesterday , Police Have Been Given More Powers

President Lungu today signed Statutory Instrument Number 53 Of 2017 prescribing a situation, if left unchecked may lead to a state of public emergency.

The current situation is simply that the President has given police more powers to stop and search and or detain suspects longer than usual and may search people without a warrant.

Under a threatened state of emergency (Article 31 of the constitution) the powers invoked are those under the Preservation of Public Security Act whilst under a State of Emergency (Article 30), the powers invoked are under the Emergency Powers Act.

1. The Preservation of Public Security Regulations took effect around 16:00hrs, Wednesday,July 5,2017 immediately when the President signed SI Number 53 of 2017 which was immediately published in the Government Gazette.

2. The Proclamation took effect immediately and would remain as such for seven days after which Parliament needs to approve it. The measure then remains in force for three months and subject to further renewal.

Amos Chanda
PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON

6 Responses to "No State Of Emergency Yet But Proclamation Was Effected At 16hrs Yesterday , Police Have Been Given More Powers"

  1. nshilimubemba   July 6, 2017 at 9:25 am

    Better to have one now than wait to see more evil.
    These crazy mad men Will start killing people for their appetite for statehouse.
    But I wonder who will vote for them in a democracy.

  2. Alfred   July 6, 2017 at 11:09 am

    Worst still, God is watching and is ready to answer our prayer. Until these thugs repent, they will not escape the wrath of God.This is a manifestation of demon possessed elements who are busy celebrating these evil acts together with their father the devil. What devilish appetite for power that will go down in the history for our nation.

  3. wayne   July 6, 2017 at 4:01 pm

    what if the burnings were orchestrated by lungu and pf as an excuse to declare a state of emergency just like most dictators did to gain full power and rid opposition?

  4. Alinuwila   July 6, 2017 at 5:18 pm

    How honestly can President Lungs burn what he is building? Argument does not make intelligent sense.

  5. FuManchu   July 7, 2017 at 1:42 am

    What a circus of a country! Where is the Judiciary? Cant believe that in this modern age we grovel to take ourselves back to the colonial era governing style!

  6. Stone crush   July 7, 2017 at 7:23 am

    We saw GBM in kasama with patrol bomb and we heard UPND cadres with burning material and the case is in court and still you can’t conclude then go back to school and do special paper 1 and you know the answer