Kapito Given Bail, Charged with Sedition

Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC)Chairperson John Kapito has been charged with sedition hours after his arrest for alleged illegal possession of foreign currency.

Rights activists who trailed the car which carried Mr. Kapito, told Zodiak Online that Mr. Kapito has since been released on a self bond police bail. His release follows unsuccessful search police conducted at his home in Lilongwe’s Area 6.

Apparently, police were looking for T-Shirts with seditious inscriptions which Mr. Kapito was alleged to be keeping.

Earlier, MHRC spokesperson Mike Chipalasa said they went to two police stations, including Lilongwe and Area 30 Police Headquarters, but could not find Mr Kapito.

But National Police spokesperson Davie Chigwalu who said Mr Kapito was arrested at around lunch, insisted that the rights activist was being detained at Lilongwe Police Station. It later transpired that he was taken to Lumbadzi police over 20km out of Lilongwe city.

“We later met them on the road as he being transferred from Lumbadzi Police Station to Area”, said Mr Chipasala.

Some police officers are said to have told Mr. Kapito that he was being suspected of planning to print some T-shirts with ‘unacceptable messages’. But Assistant Commissioner Chigwalu insisted the case was about forex.

Since becoming chairperson of the quasi-government rights body Mr. Kapito has been critical of the Mutharika regime, accusing it of mass violation of human rights and failure to report the state of rights in Malawi to the United Nations.

President Mutharika once openly told Mr. Kapito not to envy for the presidency because ‘he cannot become one’.