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Misleading! The Juvenile Torture Incident is old and Did Not Happen at Lusaka Central Police

Misleading

iVerify Zambia investigations have revealed that the video circulating on social media depicting police officers torturing a male juvenile dates back to February 2024, in Lusaka’s Kalikiliki compound, not Lusaka Central Police. The video involved Community Crime Prevention Unit (CCPU) officers, who have since been apprehended and charged with assault. Therefore, the Juvenile torture incident is old and did not happen at Lusaka Central Police

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Verified Feb, 02 2025

Claim

On January 19, 2025, a post on the Patriotic Front Facebook page alleged that Lusaka Central Police Officers had tortured a juvenile using the infamous “Kampelwa” method. The post included a video of the alleged torture, showing a male juvenile with tied legs and hands cuffed, suspended upside down from a crossbar to force a confession. The footage received divided reactions, with some outraged by alleged police brutality and others questioning the claim’s validity.

But was this the case? We investigated the calims.

Rating Justification

iVerify Zambia has determined the Patriotic Front’s Facebook post that Lusaka Central Police officers had tortured a juvenile using the infamous “Kampelwa” (swing) as misleading.

iVerify Zambia’s investigations revealed that the video is not recent and did not happen at Lusaka Central Police. The event occurred in February 2024 in Lusaka’s Kalikiliki compound, involving four Community Crime Prevention Unit (CCPU) Officers. The officers were later arrested and charged with assault by the Zambia police. While the video captures a true event, repurposing it without clarifying its context or an accurate timeline creates a false impression that it is recent. This misrepresentation is misleading and creates a wrong narrative that incites public discontent with the police.

Evidence and References

Statement on the arrest of CCPU officers for assault by Mr. Rae Hamoonga, the Zambia Police Public Relations Officer, released in February 9, 2024.

https://www.facebook.com/zambiapolice/posts/pfbid0sZ8qCpKaRKrZ8QRGK6QifuhCd5jGjeNsxVW4eQCk6bSeBGFkzisLuhLJZv4CJqvnl

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