14/08/2025
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง - ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ (๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง) ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ฒ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐.
Ms. Yvonne Simpamba, aged 32, was nine months pregnant when officers from Leonard Cheelo Police Post picked her from her home around 01:00 hours on 24th July, 2025. This was after police officers could not find Ms. Simpambaโs husband whom they were looking for in connection with an alleged fraudulent land transaction case. She was picked up in order to force her husband to turn himself in to the police.
Ms. Simpamba explained to the Commission that on the day of her arrest, police officers stormed her house and ordered everyone inside to wake up.
โI was humiliated,โ Ms. Simpamba wept as she recounted her ordeal at the hands of seven police officers, who could not allow her to get dressed properly in private, but instead threatened to take her by force in a wrapper (chitenge) she was covering herself with.
โI donโt know what would have happened to me if it was not for the Human Rights Commission,โ added Ms. Simpamba as an expression of her appreciation of the Commission's intervention to secure her right to liberty and protection from arbitrary detention.
The Commission acted promptly on a report received from a concerned citizen via its toll-free line 8181 and secured Ms. Simpambaโs release at 12:00 hours the same day after conducting its own investigations and engaging the Police.
The Commission was dismayed with the conduct of male police officers who opted to handle a vulnerable and pregnant woman instead of allowing the female officers who were part of the police team that stormed into Ms. Simpamba's house in the wee hours of the night.
The officersโ conduct deviated from the established guidelines which emphasise that only female police officers should be allowed to handle female suspects to ensure respect for their rights and dignity.
The Commission strongly condemns all forms of human rights violation such as arbitrary arrest and invasion of privacy.
To this end, the Commission intends to take steps towards securing redress for the victim in accordance with its constitutional and legislative mandate.
