Two men in Zambia have been found guilty of attempting to use witchcraft to kill the president Hakainde Hichilema.
Leonard Phiri, a village chief, and Jasten Mabulesse Candunde, a citizen of Mozambique, were arrested last December after a cleaner reported hearing strange noises. When local authorities detained them, they found a live chameleon and various “charms“, including a red cloth, an unidentified white powder, and an animal’s tail.
“The motive of the crime was to kill the head of state. The convicts were not only enemies of the head of state but of all Zambians,” magistrate Fine Mayambu said in his ruling at a court in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.
The two men were sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour. According to the prosecutor, they had been hired by the brother of MP Emmanuel Banda, who is himself under investigation for theft, attempted murder, and escape from custody.
The conviction comes as the president Hichilema faces mounting criticism over actions seen as restricting freedom of expression.
