Fred M’Membe, President of the Socialist Party Zambia and presidential candidate of the People’s Pact Movement, has been arrested and detained in Lusaka under the Cyber Crimes Act No. 4 of 2025 following remarks made during a radio interview.
Dr M’Membe is a longstanding Pan Africanist and was a participant at the November conference of the Pan-African Progressive Forces held in Accra, where he contributed to deliberations that led to the adoption of two key resolutions.
With Zambia’s general election approaching in the coming months, the arrest has intensified debate over freedom of expression and the integrity of political competition. Supporters describe the detention as an attack on democratic space and argue that the rights of opposition voices are central to credible elections.
Calls are growing for the matter to receive international attention, with allies urging solidarity, legal scrutiny and broader advocacy to safeguard democratic participation.