Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile has been charged with treason, his lawyer said. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
Mundubile was forced into hiding after a deadly raid by the authorities. He had disputed the results of the recent presidential election, which saw incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema securing a second term. According to official results, Mundubile gained 38% of the vote, while Hichilema secured 60%.
The day after the poll, security forces raided a property in the capital, Lusaka, linked to Mundubile, killing a former cabinet minister and arresting a number of other politicians. Following the raid, Mundubile and Zulu took refuge at a United Nations building in the city. They were detained after the president put pressure on the UN to hand them over.
Mundubile was arrested on Thursday. On Saturday night, his lawyer Milner Katolo announced to the Zambian Eye that his client had been charged with treason. Katolo said the opposition leader looks forward to answering the accusation in court. The lawyer said 17 others, including Mundubile's running mate Makebi Zulu, had also been charged with treason.
The authorities accused Mundubile's NRPUP party of planning an armed insurgency, which it denied. The opposition was unable to mount a legal challenge to the election outcome as the courts were sealed off by the authorities on Monday, the final day that a case could be filed.
Hichilema is due to be sworn in for a second term on 1 September. Regional and international observers described the election day as largely peaceful, but Zambia's Human Rights Commission has called for accountability over people whose whereabouts remain unknown following arrests and security operations around the elections.