The World Council of Churches has condemned the “apparent arrest” of Pastor George Chibubi, believed to have been detained by police in Ndola, Zambia, when organising a meeting of pastors to discuss the country’s economic crisis.
The WCC said they have joined with other international advocates in urging President Edgar Lungu to release the pastor and others who have been detained.
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, condemned “the arrest, detainment and harassment of pastors and other people attempting to meet as part of a civil society discussing, in a democratic fashion, ways to improve the lives of people in Zambia”.
“The WCC stands in solidarity with the church leaders in Zambia as they attempt to communicate with the government and the people,” he said.
Tveit said that alleged evidence of police brutality in Zambia has alarmed the world, adding that “Oppression and brutality have no place in creating a nation of peace that is sustainable for all”.
