The State has agreed to compensate 17 UPND supporters with K10.2 million for their unlawful detention and malicious prosecution dating back to 2015. The settlement comes after Manyando Manyando and 16 others sued the State, with the Attorney General named as the respondent, demanding damages amounting to K12.75 million.
The plaintiffs sought K490,161 for loss of business and K550,000 for legal fees. They also demanded general damages for the physical assaults they endured at the hands of the police.
The incident occurred on December 15, 2015, when Manyando and the others were arrested by police at the Lusaka Magistrates Court, where they had gone to support Sylvia Masebo, the then-expelled PF Chongwe Member of Parliament. After the hearing, as they walked along Independence Avenue, they encountered four Toyota Land Cruisers filled with police officers who began firing tear gas canisters. Unable to escape, they were overpowered by the tear gas, forcibly loaded into a van by the police, and taken to Woodlands Police Station. The group alleges that they were brutalized by the officers, with the female detainees being disrobed during the process.
They were subsequently detained at Kabwata Police Station from December 15 to September 18, 2015, and charged with unauthorized procession. The charges were later dropped, and they were acquitted in December 2016.
A consent judgment, endorsed by High Court Judge Ruth Chibbabuka, stipulates that the State will pay K600,000 to each of the plaintiffs as damages for false imprisonment. Additionally, the State will cover K800,000 in legal costs for the plaintiffs’ advocates. All other claims have been dropped, and the payment of these sums is considered full and final settlement. The court proceedings against the State have been officially discontinued.