Petition for release of three youth activists

(Press Release)-- The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) Malawi Steering Group Member, Edward Chileka and two of his colleagues Howard Jimu and Awonenji Chimera (associated with the NGO Eye For Development) were arrested on 2 March 2010 as an act of retaliation against a statement made by the organisation questioning the political priorities reflected in the National Youth Development Fund that was announced by the government on 20 February 2010.

Edward and his colleagues were denied release on bail by the Magistrate Court on 4 March, and are scheduled to appear in court again on 11 March. We members of civil society organisations (CSOs) are shell shocked at the news of the arrest and detention without bail of Edward Chileka, Howard Jimu and Awonenji Chimera. We believe that the arrest of these three individuals is as an act of retaliation against a statement launched by the youth based NGO Eye For Development.

As members of CSOs, we are guided by the principles behind the constitutive act of the African Union, which Malawi adopted with 52 African states. This enjoins all governments in Africa to promote the fundamental human rights and freedoms of its citizens. Additionally, the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi provides for freedom of opinion and association under articles 34 and 37. ‘Every person shall have the right to freedom of opinion, including the right to hold opinions without interference to hold, receive and impart opinions.’

These rights are also enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and reiterated in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As a State Party of the International Covenant, Malawi is obliged to respect and protect these rights. As CSOs in Africa, we believe that the Youth are the bedrock of the future development of any nation; hence, any attempt by young people to challenge the status quo and to offer constructive criticism must be applauded and accepted in good faith by our governments. We believe that youth deserve to be supported whether they be ‘for’ or ‘against’ status quo in any of their countries.

As Civil Society, we speak out as a voice for the voiceless, not with the intention of bringing about discord but with a united spirit to bring about an end to the inequalities we see around us.

On the arrest, Netsanet Belay, Civil Society Watch Programme Manager of CIVICUS, comments: ‘We believe that the right to express democratic dissent and petition the government is a fundamental human right guaranteed under domestic and international law. We therefore urge the Malawian authorities to release these activists urgently.’

In addition, GCAP Co-chair and Convener for Africa, Adelaide Sosseh says: ‘This arrest comes as a shock to us. Malawi is gaining prominence as a democratic state; hence incidents of this nature should not be allowed to reverse progress. Freedom of expression of divergent views is fundamental to building a strong democracy in any country. Edward and his colleagues must be released immediately.’

In the wake of the above, we believe the arrest and detention of the three youth activists will serve as a major setback to Malawi’s fledgling democracy and a taint on the image of Africa and that of the African Union. We are therefore calling for the immediate release of the three youth activists and call on the Government of Malawi to ensure that all human rights defenders in Malawi carrying out their legitimate work in defense of human rights, are able to operate free of restrictions and reprisals,

* GCAP works to challenge the institutions and processes that perpetuate poverty and inequality across the world to defend and promote human rights, gender justice, social justice and security needed for survival and peace”

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