Two men found guilty of witchcraft plot to kill Zambia's president

"Two men have been convicted in Zambia of planning to use witchcraft to kill the president, Hakainde Hichilema. Leonard Phiri, a village chief, and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, a Mozambican citizen, were arrested in December after a cleaner reported hearing strange noises. Authorities said they were found to be in possession of a live chameleon and other assorted charms, including a red cloth, an unidentified white powder and an animal's tail."

"The motive of the crime was to kill the head of state, the magistrate Fine Mayambu said in his ruling at a court in Lusaka. The convicts were not only enemies of the head of state but all Zambians. The men were sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour. The prosecution said they had been hired by the brother of the opposition MP Emmanuel Jay Jay Banda, who is facing trial for robbery, attempted murder and escaping custody."

"The conviction, under a British colonial-era law that criminalises so-called witchcraft, comes as Hichilema has faced growing criticism for cracking down on free speech and political opposition. Hichilema is using the courts to suppress his opponents, appointing allies to the election commission and rewriting constitutional rules for his own benefit before national elections next year, Sishuwa Sishuwa, a senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University said in a column for the Mail & Guardian, a South African newspaper."

Two men were convicted in Zambia for plotting to use witchcraft to kill President Hakainde Hichilema. Leonard Phiri, a village chief, and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, a Mozambican citizen, were arrested after a cleaner reported hearing strange noises and were found with a live chameleon and assorted charms including a red cloth, an unidentified white powder and an animal's tail. The magistrate ruled the motive was to kill the head of state and the men received two years with hard labour. Prosecutors alleged they were hired by the brother of opposition MP Emmanuel Jay Jay Banda. The case used a British colonial-era witchcraft law amid wider concerns about political repression and disputes over the burial of predecessor Edgar Lungu.

Read at www.theguardian.com