Riot police attack, arrest Malawi protest leaders

Riot police attack, arrest Malawi protest leaders

2011-07-21 00:45:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

LILONGWE, MALAWI (BNO NEWS) -- Riot police on Wednesday beat up and arrested some 40 opposition leaders in the administrative capital Lilongwe as anti-government protests against the high cost of living rocked Malawi, an eyewitness said.

"They have been beaten terribly and were thrown into a riot police van," said eyewitness Mike Chipalasa who works for state-funded Malawi Human Rights Commission, as reported by the Maravi Post.

Chipalasa added that the leaders were taking refuge in a church when riot police sneaked up on them, apparently following a tip off. Among those arrested was Undule Mwakasungura, chairperson of the Human Rights Consultative Committee, which organized the protests.

Several journalists and photographers were also taken into custody, according to the Maravi Post.

Northern Region Police spokesperson Norah Chimwala told the BBC that one person had died in the unrest in Mzuzu, some 300km (185 miles) north of the capital, Lilongwe. Seven other people were taken to Mzuzu Central Hospital after being shot by police.

The trouble started after a court ruled on Tuesday the protests, called against the high cost of living by a coalition of civil society groups, were illegal. The BBC reported that ruling party supporters armed with machetes warned people in Blantyre, the second largest city, not to protest.

Last week, the United Kingdom suspended its general budget aid to Malawi after a diplomatic spat with Mutharika's government. The UK accused Malawi of mishandling the economy and failing to uphold human rights.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 75 percent of the population living on less than $1 a day.

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