A 22-year-old man named Promise Chandiwira is currently being treated at the Kasungu District Hospital after collapsing due to spending over two weeks in police custody without food.
Chandiwira was taken into custody on January 14th, 2023, at the Kasungu Police Station, and has been surviving on water ever since.
Chandiwira claims that he went to the police station to seek mediation following a misunderstanding over a cellphone he had bought at Mphomwa in Kasungu, but instead was placed into custody without being allowed to inform his relatives or seek outside assistance.
Speaking from his hospital bed, where he is currently chained, Chandiwira alleged that his rights have been violated during his time in police custody.
The police in Kasungu have yet to comment on the matter, but the Kasungu Civil Society Network Chair, Blackston Mazoni Banda, has expressed concern over the treatment of Chandiwira.
Banda sayed that it is a violation of human rights to keep suspects in custody beyond 48 hours without formal charges and denying them access to their relatives.
