Zambian Opposition Leader Frank Bwalya Charged With Defamation For Comparing President Michael Sata To A Potato

Zambian Opposition Leader Charged With Defamation For the Comparing President To A Potato
A sweet potato. Not Zambian President Michael Sata
A sweet potato. Not Zambian President Michael Sata
Stuart Minzey via Getty Images

The leader of the Zambian opposition has been arrested and charged with defamation after reportedly likening the president to a sweet potato.

Frank Bwalya, the head of the Alliance for a Better Zambia (ABZ), is alleged to have referred to President Michael Sata as “chumbu mushololwa” during a live radio broadcast on Monday, the AFP reports.

If convicted, Bwalya could face up to five years behind bars.

“The police decided to arrest and charge him with defamation of the president,” Eric Chanda, the secretary general of ABZ told the agency.

According to The Independent, Elias Chipimo, leader of the Opposition National Restoration Party (NRP) has called for Bwalya’s release and described him as a fearless politician.

In 2002 a newspaper editor was arrested for calling then-President Mwanawasa a “cabbage”, the BBC writes.

The charges were subsequently dropped.

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