By Linda Kwanjana
The National Advocacy Platform (NAP) has condemned the Malawi Police Service for repeatedly summoning activist Redson Munlo.
In an interview, NAP Chairperson Benedicto Kondowe, who is also a lawyer, said the repeated summoning is deeply troubling and raises legitimate concerns about the possible weaponisation of police powers to intimidate dissenting voices.
Kondowe said Sections 34 and 35 of the Constitution guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, while Sections 32 and 38 protect freedom of association and peaceful assembly
“Criticising NGORA’s decision to deregister 36 NGOs, including HRDC, is not a crime, and political disagreement cannot be transformed into criminal suspicion merely because those in authority find criticism uncomfortable,” he said.
He said police have a lawful mandate to investigate suspected offences, but that mandate is not a licence to harass, intimidate or silence government critics.
“Unless there is a credible and lawful investigative basis, repeated summonses risk becoming instruments of intimidation rather than legitimate law enforcement,” he said.
Kondowe added that the reported death threats against Munlo equally demand urgent and impartial investigation.
“The police must never become an enforcement arm of political intolerance. Malawi is a constitutional democracy, not a police state. The Constitution protects the right to challenge power, not merely the freedom to praise it,” he said.
He said a government confident in its legitimacy must answer criticism with accountability and results, not intimidation.
The NAP statement follows reports that the police have summoned Munlo to report at Area 30 Police Headquarters in Lilongwe.
In an interview, Munlo said he has received the summons with honour and will comply with the law, but stressed that he and his colleagues will not remain silent on matters of national interest.
The summons comes against the background of an audio clip in which Munlo challenged the decision by the Non-Governmental Organisations Regulatory Authority (NGORA) to deregister the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).
“I was at the police last week, now they have called me again. I will go. I don’t know the reasons, they know what they want. I am not afraid of anything,” he said.
Munlo called on the current administration to focus on addressing the country’s economic challenges.
He criticised the Malawi Police Service for allegedly serving political interests, saying he is not intimidated.
“The way to solve problems in this country is not by summoning activists to police stations. I will go, but this must stop. The police are ours, we pay them through our taxes,” he emphasised.
He further claimed that he has been receiving death threats but said he remains unafraid.
“I am not against any administration, but I am here to offer constructive criticism for the good of this country,” he said.
The development comes as commentators continue to criticise the Mutharika administration over its alleged crackdown on critics.
The criticism follows the recent decision by NGORA to deregister HRDC, a move which has been widely condemned by civil society. Activists argue that NGORA has no mandate to deregister CSOs, saying it is merely an association that organisations join voluntarily.
The deregistration has also raised concern among development partners who rely on HRDC for governance and accountability checks, with fears that it could be interpreted as shrinking civic space at a time when Malawi is seeking increased foreign aid.
