Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Zambian authorities to immediately halt what it describes as a “vicious clampdown” on the political opposition that has intensified since President Hakainde Hichilema secured victory in the August elections.

The rights group, in a report released on Sunday, accused the government of silencing critics and demanded an end to the escalating repression. HRW stated that several opposition members, journalists, and lawyers have been arrested, with some disappearing in the months following the election.

“The post-election climate of intimidation, harassment, and repression has had a chilling effect on civic and political organizations, particularly on dissenting voices,” HRW said. The organization detailed that Zambian police and military personnel allegedly forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, beat, and threatened opposition members, supporters, lawyers, journalists, and government critics in the period leading up to and immediately after the August 2026 general elections.

Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at HRW, urged the Zambian government to break this cycle of repression. She called for the immediate cessation of the post-election crackdown, unimpeded access to legal counsel and medical care for detainees, the release of all arbitrarily detained individuals, and accountability for abuses committed by security forces.

President Hichilema was inaugurated for his second term after winning the August elections, which critics contend were marred by vote rigging. During his inauguration ceremony, his main rival, Brian Mundubile, was reportedly in detention facing treason charges, stemming from his claims that the opposition had won the election. Police had raided Mundubile's residence the day after the election, an operation during which a former cabinet member, Mutotwe Kafwaya, was shot and killed.

HRW has specifically called for an independent and impartial investigation into the death of Mutotwe Kafwaya. In addition to Mundubile, approximately a dozen other opposition figures who have challenged the election results have also been arrested. The situation has been further complicated by the sudden closure of the country’s courts two weeks after the election, a measure the police described as an “intelligence-led and preventive measure” without providing further details.

The closure of the courts has raised concerns, as it potentially impedes the opposition's ability to seek legal recourse or challenge the ongoing detentions and arrests. HRW's report highlights these actions as part of a broader pattern of suppression aimed at curtailing political dissent and consolidating power in the post-election period.

The organization's findings underscore a significant concern for democratic processes and human rights in Zambia, with international bodies and rights groups likely to monitor the situation closely in the coming weeks and months.